Hanyou
by Goldfire1200
Summary: Sakura's life if she was a Hanyou. Everyone is a year older and it starts at the beginning of the Naruto series. SasukeXSakura for the most part...R&R pwease! Rating may go up.
1. Beginnings

**Summery- Sakura's life as a Hanyou. Starts at the beginning of the series and everyone is a year older.**

**Disclaimer- Not mine…sadly.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Ok, here is the first chapter of my new epic fanfiction! Please no flames...this is my first time writing a multi-chappie story. Constructive critsism is welcome.^^<span>**

**Sakura POV**

It started when I was five or six. My senses increased. My reflexes became almost cat-like. I knew I was different…I wasn't like the other kids my age. They were afraid of me. They had been since I first came to class. The reason? It was hard for me to control my anger…and I had white wolf ears, a tail, sharper and elongated canines, and claws. I was a Hanyou. A half-breed. The lowest of the low. To them, I was nothing. Nothing but trouble.

At first, I couldn't understand this. What was so bad about being a Hanyou? I was still human! At least half. Then, I met Naruto. He was a goofball, but I liked him. People were afraid of him too. He had the Kyuubi fox demon sealed within him. Did he care? Nope! He was always cheerful and optimistic. _That's _what I liked about him.

And there was Sasuke. He was cold and mysterious; a prodigy and the only heir left to the Uchiha clan. He rarely spoke and kept to himself. I don't blame him…his whole family was massacred by his brother Itachi. But the older boy had a reason. I just cannot explain it now.

Well, at the age of ten, I graduated ninja school and became a genin. Then, at 13, I met my first sensei. And guess what? Naruto and Sasuke were my teammates! Naruto was ecstatic, Sasuke was indifferent, and I was secretly glad that Naruto was my teammate. I don't know what I'd do without him.

So with mixed emotions, the three of us went to meet our new teacher who had never once passed any of his students. (Ya'll know what happens!XD)

After we passed Kakashi-sensie's test, Naruto was doing a strange victory dance. I smiled softly. Naruto was such a kid. "Let's go celebrate, Sakura-Chan!" he shouted in glee.

I flattened my wolf ears when he yelled. He was too loud…" If it's alright, Naruto…I'm going to go hang out by myself for a while. You know where to find me." I told him. He nodded. With another smile, I turned and ran off.

Normal POV

Sasuke watched Sakura go. There were strange vibes coming from her. "You go on, Naruto." He muttered, not looking at the blond.

Naruto shrugged and left. "See ya." He said, racing off into the trees. Sasuke stood there for a moment, thinking. Should he follow Sakura? He sighed. No, he shouldn't…but something was nagging at him. He ran off after her.

Sakura POV

I stood in the middle of the forest, waiting. He would be here soon. I had to be patient…he always took his time coming to meet me. I growled lowly. Patience was not one of my strong points. "Sakura." A voice startled me and I yelped, whirling around to face the one who had spoken my name.

"Itachi! You're here!" I felt my face break into a wide grin. "What took you so long?" I asked.

He shrugged, smirking. "Why are you always so early?" he asked back. I chuckled. "How's Sasuke?"

With a shrug, I replied, "Moody, dark, depressed, anti-social…the usual." I told him. Itachi sighed and put a hand to his head. "What?" I inquired.

"I understand that," he muttered. "But is he getting stronger?"

"If you count beating his sensei at his own game getting stronger…then, yes."

"Always so moody yourself, ne?" he chuckled.

"I have my reasons…" I growled lowly, flicking my tail in annoyance. He looked at me with sad eyes. Before he could say anything, a familiar scent reached my sensitive nose. "Sasuke's 300 yards away." I said.

Itachi nodded and said, "I'll go then." He gave me one last sad look and disappeared in a poof of smoke. I stood there, waiting for Sasuke to catch up. He wasn't very quiet, although he was trying to be stealthy.

"You know you can't sneak up on a Hanyou." I said, not even turning around. I heard him chuckle.

"Guess not." He replied, coming and standing beside me.

"Why did you follow me?" I snarled and began walking. He followed…again. I growled in irritation and flattened my ears. "Sasuke Uchiha…answer my question or go away."

"I really don't know why I followed you. I just wanted to." He mumbled.

I snorted. "You don't know?" I asked. "You're an Uchiha for crying out loud…you _always_ know." I said sarcastically.

"Hn…" he grunted and didn't reply. I sighed and jumped into a huge tree as we came to a clearing. "I thought wolves don't climb trees." He called up.

"This one does!" I giggled and jumped even higher.

He somehow managed to follow me. I sighed. "Will you stop following me?" I asked.

"No." He said matter-of-factly.

I grumbled and leaned back against the tree trunk and crossed my arms. "This is the exact reason why I don't invite Uhiha's over…" I huffed under my breath. It was so low, I was sure that he hadn't heard me. I was wrong.

Normal POV

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Uhiha's?" he questioned. "You knew my clan?"

Sakura paled. "Ummm…" she looked away." Not really…technically." She searched for a way to change the subject.

But Sasuke wouldn't have it. "Sakura…" he warned.

"I'm a lot older than you _think_, Sasuke." She huffed. If he was surprised, he didn't show it. "In human years, I'm 14…but in Hanyou years, I'm 114."

Now he looked surprised. "WHAT?" he said. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "Yeah…my body ages 4 times slower than a normal person…but my mind ages at a normal rate."

Sasuke remained quiet for a moment. Then, he asked, "So, you were around long enough to know some of my clan?"

"Just one." She told him, then, wished she hadn't.

"Who?" he asked, eyes hardening.

"I'm not supposed to tell you that." She mentally growled and her inner began to speak. **Stupid!** She said.** He's gonna find out! He'll guess it…you KNOW he will! **

_No he won't…_she thought to her inner self. _Will he?_ She didn't get a reply. Sasuke spoke.

"You're not _supposed_ to?" he demanded.

**Oh, shit! You've really got to control what you say, girl.** Her inner muttered, slapping her forehead and sighing. **He's onto you.**

"That's right." Sakura said, ignoring her inner. "Now, will you PLEASE go away so I can think?" she went to climb even higher into the tree.

"Sakura." He growled. "Get back here and tell me."

"No!" she snapped, jumping to another branch. "I can't. Now…go AWAY!" with a snarl, she vanished into the trees.


	2. Mission

Chapter Two is here! OMG, finally! I am so sorry for taking so long, but alas, my MIA flash drive has not returned, so I just decided to start typing!

NOTE- Oh, I forgot to swich POV's last time. I think I can remember this time, hehe! (Yeah, now I've fixed it^^)

Disclaimer- Seriously, I wouldn't be writing FANFICTION if Naruto was mine...

Sakura POV

Seriously. Did the Uchiha's have to ruin my life every time they had the chance? It was like they made it their _goal_ to mess with the only Hanyou of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. What was _wrong _with them? I sighed irritably as I walked along with a chattering Naruto and a silent Sasuke.

I had been avoiding being alone with them lately. If I so much as suspected Naruto was going to run off somewhere or if Kakashi was going to be late when Naruto had yet to show up, I made sure I wasn't there. Sasuke was fuming. He wanted to get me alone and bombard me with questions. I could see it. Naruto was usually on the reciving end of his anger, because he liked to annoy the raven head. I was glad that the fox boy offered some distraction. Even if it was unintentional.

Our latest mission was about rescuing a cat. A CAT! Was the Hokage _serious_? A freaking _cat_? Did anyone consider the fact that my demon half was a **wolf** demon? Apparently not...we did manage to rescue the runaway feline, though I could understand why it had run. It's owner, a chubby woman who wore way too much lace for my tastes, smothered the poor creature with hugs and kisses that it obviously didn't want. I inwardly cringed. I would hate that if someone did that to me.

"This is stupid! I'm going to talk to the Hokage!" Naruto shouted suddenly and dashed off towards the tower. I sighed. Naruto and his stupid impatience.

"Uh, Naruto..." Kakashi was too late. The blond was already half-way down the busy streets. We had no choice but to follow. I surprised that, by the time we got there, Naruto had already convinced the Hokage to give us a C-ranked mission. Wonderful. Naruto pranced around happily as we all went home.

Well, this had been an interesting day.

Our mission now was to escort a man; a bridge builder, back to his home in a water village. He was rude and impolite...but, alas, this was our mission.

Normal POV

The next day was the day of Team 7's mission. Of course, Sakura was the first one there, and waited patiently for the rest of her team to appear. She was used to their lateness by now.

"Sakura-chaaaaan!" Naruto pounced on her as he poffed into view.

"Naruto...ack, get _**off**_!" she yelled. Ok, this was something that she was NOT used to. He grinned and let her go, scratching the back of his head. She scowled.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan." he chuckled nervously.

With a sighed, she ignored him. Since when had he started calling her with chan at the end of her name? "Please don't do that again, Naruto." she replied and he nodded. Sasuke was suddenly there and he stood silently while Naruto decided to annoy him again.

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke muttered, but the blond only began whining.

A poof of smoke made all three of them turn and glare at their Sensie. "Yo, sorry I'm late...I was helpingout this nice lady-" he bgean, but was cut off.

"LAIR!" the three of them scolded their silver-haired teacher. He chuckled and shrugged.

"Everyone ready to go? Tazuna is coming now." Kakashi said, pointing. An old gray-haired man came up, looking angry. He held a bottle of beer in his hand and the other hand was secured around the strap of the bag on his back.

He growled. "Are you sure that these _kids_ can get me there safely? I mean...look at em!" he glared at each in turn.

"Now, now. My students are very good and I am here, so there is really no need to worry." Kakashi assured him, turning to the gates. "Okay, let's go!" he ordered, and we all headed out.

(A/N- I'm gonna change this scen only a little.^^)

Sakura POV

Something was wrong. I could tell as soon as we exited the gates. It felt as if we were being watched. I didn't want to say anything, however, because I wasn't exactly sure. Naruto was walking up ahead, acting stupid...as usual. He suddenlt turned and flung a kunia into the bushes. A streak of white caught my eyes and a rabbit bounded away. "Only a rabbit..." Naruto muttered, dissapointed.

"Hold on..." Sasuke said and I froze. We traded looks, coming to the same conclusion at once.

"That was a WHITE rabbit." I said softly, my eyes worried.

"So?" Naruto asked.

How could he be so stupid? "It's not winter." Sasuke and I spoke at the same time. In that instant, a glint of silver made kakashi jump back as two ninja wearing metal claws leaped out from the trees.

"Protect Tazuna!" he shouted and Naruto, Sasuke and I were instantly in front of the old man. His eyes were wide and fearful. I supposed that a C mission like this wasn't supposed to include being jumped by deadly assasins.

Naruto was throw back and now was up against one of the clawed ninja. "Kakashi-sensie!" Sasuke's yell made me snap my eyes towards our teacher. he was surrounded by a long, spiked and metal chain! Sasuke shot off to help him, but soon realized that the crafty Joinin had used a substitution jutsu.

He now attacked the ninja full on. Naruto shouted and I looked to see the ninja he'd been fighting running right at me. I frowned and stood my ground, pulling out a kunai. A flash of blue obscured my vision. "Sasuke-kun?" I gasped. He looked back when he realized I had added the suffix to his name, then as the ninja drew near, looked forward and blocked his attack.

Why had I added that to his name, I wonder? I shook of these thoughts and watched as the second ninja was finally knocked out. Kakashi had returned and was looking mighty furious.

"Tazuna," he said lowly. "You have some explaining to do."


	3. Shudder

**Wow, I'm doing these quite fast! It might because I have already written a rough draft before and now I have a burst of insperation. Or maybe it's just because I'm up late with nothing better to do. XD Anyways, chapter three!**

**Disclaimer- How many times do I have to say this is not my anime?**

Normal POV

Although Kakashi had pulled Tazuna off to the side, Sakura could hear every word spoke as if they were standing right next to her. _"Have they forgotten that I am a HANYOU?"_ she wondered, rolling her eyes at this thought and snorting.

"Yes, it is true that those ninja were after me, but I have no money to pay for an A-ranked mission." the old man pleaded, wringing his hands nervously. What? A-ranked?

Kakashi sighed. "Still...you shouldn't have lied. I'm sure someone would have helped you."

"But that's just it."

"Huh?" Kakashi looked at him with his uncovered eye. "What do you mean?"

Tazuna clasped his hands and grimaced. "No one would want to go up against Zabuza Mamochi."

"Zabuza...? The one in our bingo book?"

The old man nodded and Kakashi lat out a low curse. Sakura was unsure about everything that had been adressed. From what she gathered so far, Tazuna was being chased down by a powerful shinobi who was in the bingo book; the book that labled every ninja to be taken down by Kohana Ninja.

This was not good.

"Kakashi-sensie! What's going on?" Naruto went over and stood beside Sakura, his expression curious. Their teacher sighed and looked over at them.

"It seems our client had not told us the whole story." he said. "Zabuza Mamochi is after him to stop the building of the bridge."

"And who is Zabuza?" Sasuke spoke up. Sakura nearly jumped when his voice came from right beside her. When had he gotten there?

"A powerful ninja who you may not be ready to face."

Naruto became determined. "We can too, Kakashi-sensie! We can do this!" he shouted.

"Naruto, this is not like any other mission!" Sakura snapped upon seeing his excited look. "This is much more dangerous and we could die. It is highly possible that we are no match for such an opponet."

"Yet, you still want to go." Sasuke glanced at her, a smirk on his face.

She blinked and stared back. "Hai...I do." she nodded, surprised.

Naruto became serious and she looked over at him and smiled softly. "All I want is for him to not act childish and think things through." she said softly.

Sasuke nodded and looked at Kakashi. "I'm in." he told him.

"I'm in." Sakura echoed.

All eyes turned to Naruto. "Count me in, too!" he said loudly, though serious and determined.

"Alright," Kakashi drawled, looking over at Tazuna. "It seems you have lucked out. We will still follow our mission and we will help you." he announced.

Tazuna sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Sakura POV

Kakashi-sensie was truely kind hearted. I had known that from the start. However, I had thought that his sense of duty to his village overrode his compassion. I was wrong.

We continued to escort Tazuna back to his village. As we walked, a man with a giant sword suddenly attacked! It was Zabuza. he managed to almost beat our sensie, but was stopped by a boy dressed as a girl. The boy had shot senbon into his neck and said he was dead.

There was no pulse, Kakashi-sensie had checked...but I didn't believe it. Zabuza didn't _smell _dead. I didn't say anything, though. If Kakashi believed the boy, who was called Haku, then there was no room for me to object.

Leaving the boy behind, we made it to Tazuna's village. I didn't think on the matter of the supposedly dead Zabuza, and concentrated on helping to construct the bride. Since our team had arrived, this made all the workers feel safe enough to help and we all worked together to build the bridge.

I was lifting a brick up to Sasuke when I smelled him. So I'd been right. He wasn't dead. A low snarl was building up in my chest and I gazed warily at the shimmering figure at the end of the bridge. "Sasuke-kun." I muttered, and looked up.

He followed my gaze and his eyes hardened. "Zabuza..." he said coldly.

"Where is Kakashi?" I asked, making it seem as if I had not noticed the mist ninja.

Sasuke glanced up. "Not here. And most of the workers have gone home since it's late." he replied. Just as he finished speaking, a thick fog rolled over the bridge and consumed us.

"Naruto!" I shouted, quickly placing myself in front of Tazuna, who was now frozen in fear. The rest of the workers ran off screaming. Naruto and Sasuke were instantly at my side, both ready and in defensive stances.

_"Do you know how many vital spots there are in the body...?" _Zabuza's voice floated through the mist and echoed around us, circling us. He knew all the vital spots? I shivered as his voice came again, sickly sweet and calm. _"There's the heart...the lungs...the liver...the kidneys...the spine...the brain..."_

He began listing them off and I felt sick. "Sakura, can you hear where he's at? Or smell him?" Sasuke's quite voice whispered close to my ear.

I strained my senses. "No..." I muttered, scowling. "The fod is to thick. Sasuke, I can't sense anything...it doesn't feel good." I held back a whimper. I wasn't used to not being able to use my senses.

I knew he had heard me, but was surprised when looked over at me, his eyes trying to offer reassurance. The wind shifted and I gasped as the smell of acid-like water came from behind us. "He's behind!" I shrieked as his sword whistled through the air, nearly clipping Tazuna on the head.

My warning had been just in time!

"Sakura!" Naruto exlaimed as Zabuza swung again, aiming for me. He considered me, the Hanyou, as the biggest threat right now. Sasuke was lured away by Haku and I continued to dodge the giant blade. I misstepped and shrieked again.

"Sakura!" Sasuke's voice called from somewhere.

"Still here!" I gasped, watching as Naruto took on the powerful ninja.

I went in Sasuke's direction and saw that Haku had trapped him in a ring of ice mirrors. Haku was winning. "Sasuke-kun!" I shouted, pulling out a fumma shurikin and throwing it his way. He froze as Haku reached out and caught it as he moved from one mirror to the next.

"Shit!" I cursed.

Haku chuckled and looked at me. I shuddered. "You are a half-breed." he sneered. "Ah, and you're too young to access your true form, ne?" his smirk was cold and evil.

I growled, flattening my wolf ears against my skull and lashing my tail, eyes darkening. "So? What's it to you?" I snapped, fangs bared.

He only laughed evilly and turned back to Sasuke. "So..." he repeated. "You cannot stop me." and he let lose a barrage of senbon that went flying right at Sasuke.

**Author's note- Well, I have left it at a cliffy! Sort of, haha. I'm trying here! XD Please R&R! Thanks Echo Uchiha for the suggestion! It helped me start to think! ^_^**


	4. Rage

**Ok, I sorta had a few days of not being able to us a computer, but now…I'm baaaaack! XD And here we go! Ch. 4! **

**Disclaimer- *sigh* Again...I do not own Naruto...**

**Note: I was thinking of making this a SasSaku story, but a suggestion of a NaruSaku story made me think about making it a GaaSaku one. I'm going to have a poll here…cast your votes for your fave guy who I should pair with Sakura!**

**1) Sasuke **

**2) Naruto **

**3) Gaara **

**4) (couldn't resist XD) Itatchi **

Sakura POV

I never knew I could feel such rage. My blood boiled and red blurred my vision. Faintly, I heard myself screaming and gasped as a cold fire swept through my veins. "What? She's way to young!" I heard Haku say, fear evident in his voice. A flash of pale aqua light clouded my vision. When it cleared, I was standing on four legs…I was a wolf! A pure white wolf!

The urge to howl overtook me and I tilted my head back, the eerie cry rising up and shattering the stillness. My emerald gaze locked onto Haku. I howled again…and the mirrors broke into a thousand pieces. I looked for Haku. When I found him, his shocked gaze on me, I bared my fangs, a low snarl ripping from my throat. I could not speak, but my intimidating actions spoke volumes. I was out to kill Haku...and he better take me seriously.

Snarling, I lunged for his throat. He jumped away and I followed, teeth flashing angrily. Lunging again, I tried to sink my teeth into his leg, but he kicked out at me, catching me in the side. I twisted to try and null the impact, but still felt the blaze of pain as it shot through my ribs. I yelped. Landing as best I could without falling, I circled Haku. His eyes followed me. With another snarl, I leaped for his throat. I was sure that I had him this time, but he managed to throw his arm up and between his neck and my fangs.

Not good. He was able to knock me away and I knew I would pay dearly for my simple mistake. I saw the flash of needles as he pulled them out. I saw him flick his wrist, shooting them my way. Naruto appeared...a second too late to stop Haku's attack. I had to dodge!

It was all in vain. I still was not used to being in this wolf form and it took its toll on me. The senbon sank into my back leg and I couldn't stop the pained cry that escaped my mouth. I stifled it with a yelp and fell to the ground. Naruto was now engaded with Haku. I stood, cringing when I found that I could not put any weight upon my leg.

Determination swept through me. I still had to help Naruto, injured or not!

Normal POV

Sasuke struggled to sit up, pain coursing through his entire body. Senbon needles pierced his neck, shoulders, arms and legs. His eyes widened when he saw Sakura turn into a pure white wolf, her green eyes ablaze with a determined fire. She howled, and Sasuke felt a shiver run up his spine at the sound.

The mirrors soon shattered, tiny glass shards made of ice raining down on him. Haku cursed loudly and jumped back as Sakura lunged at him. "Filthy half-breed!" she snarled as she went to sink her teeth into his leg. He kicked out at her and she yelped, twisting sideways to avoid most of the impact.

"S-Sakura!" Sasuke called as he tried once again to sit up. Pain shot through him and he fell back. _"Damn it! I can't move!" _he thought angrily.

Sakura lunged again, her fangs ripping into Haku's arm as she landed on top of him, aiming for his throat. He yelled and knocked her aside. Instantly, he had stood and pulled out more senbon. Panic surged through Sasuke and he felt helpless. Where was Naruto?

As if on cue, the hyper blond appeared with an angry roar. He leaped at Haku, but it was too late to stop the senbon as he shot them at Sakura. She tried to dodge. She howled, this one cutting off into a pained yelp. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted. He turned his furious eyes on Haku and attacked him.

The white wolf joined him, her back left leg held off of the ground, senbon needles clearly seen piercing through her ankle and calf.

Haku, distracted by Sakura, was easily taken down by Naruto when he aimed a deadly blow to the boys head. Naruto quickly turned to Sasuke, as did Sakura. "Sasuke-teme, you okay?" the blond shouted, running over to him.

Sasuke nodded, his eyes on Sakura as she limped over and sat beside him, turning back into her human form. "Sasuke, I'm sorry!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him.

"Sakura…you're hurting me." he managed to choke out.

She let him go and looked down. "Gomen…if only I had been faster." She said softly. Naruto put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Sakura-chan." he told her.

"Yo! Everyone alright?" Kakashi appeared in a poof of smoke, his un-concealed eye looking very concerned. "Tazuna ran back and told me to get here as soon as I could. I was going to kill Zabuza…" he looked over at the motionless form of the mist nin. "I guess Naruto beat me to it, eh?"

Naruto beamed. "Yup!" he agreed proudly.

"Nice job, Naruto. We need to get Sasuke to the hospital now. And Sakura, you should get checked up on as well." Kakashi said, looking pointedly at the needles in her leg.

"No…hospital." Sasuke grunted, trying to sit up. "I'm fine."

Sakura frowned, her maternal instincts kicking in. She put a hand on his shoulder to hold him back. "No you're not fine!" she exclaimed, her tone reprimanding. "Lie back!" she ordered and then her voice softened. "I'll heal you."

"You can heal?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah," she nodded, swiftly removing all of the senbon from Sasuke's limbs before he could protest. Her hands hovered over his neck and shoulders, green chakra emitting and healing the wounds. She looked back at Naruto and smiled bitterly. "Though…healing takes a lot outta me."

"Sakura, you should heal yourself first." Sasuke ordered gently. She shook her head and continued healing him.

He frowned at her stubbornness, but didn't say anything more. His wounds were completely healed on his neck and shoulders. It was at his arms that Sakura's eyes began to flutter close and the green aura around her hands began to flicker.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but Sasuke beat him to it. "Sakura…" he said quietly, his hand encircling her wrist and puching her hands away. "It's alright, I'm fine now."

A small, weary smile ghosted her lips and she nodded, slowly standing up. Her legs shook and Sasuke noticed. In a flash, he had gained his feet and swept her up into his arms. Her eyes widened in surprised, but she smiled. "Arigato…" she murmured, letting her eyes slide shut as she fell into a deep sleep.

Sasuke sighed and looked at Kakashi. "Let's head back."

The silver-haired shinobi nodded. Naruto jumped up.

"Sasuke! Is she ok?" he asked, worry in his voice as he paced nervously beside the Uchiha when they started walking.

"Yeah, she's just sleeping." he replied softly.

Kakashi cast a side long glance at Sasuke. "You want me to take her?" he inquired. The raven-haired boy shook his head. "You sure?"

Frowning, Sasuke shot him annoyed look before letting his eyes soften just a bit. "Hai, I'm sure." he muttered. "I've got her."

**This one didn't take that long. :3 R&R pleaze and you'll get a giant cookie! Also, send your votes in! They'll really help in getting this story moving along!**


	5. Peace

**Yay! Chapter 5 is here! Ok, I have two votes so far. Who should Sakura be with?**

**Votes**

**1) Sasuke **

**2) Naruto – 1 vote**

**3) Gaara- 1 vote**

**4) (couldn't resist XD) Itatchi **

****Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto and you don't either, so there! ****

Normal POV

"Are you sure she's ok, Sasuke-teme?" a hushed whisper reached Sakura's sensitive wolf ears. She knew that voice. It was Naruto. At least he was whispering and not being a loudmouth as usual.

"Hn." The responding grunt told her that Sasuke was probably ignoring the impatient blond to the best of his abilities. This thought made Sakura inwardly smile.

She struggled her way to awareness, forcing herself to wake up and chase off the darkness of sleep. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up. Pain shot through her hip and she stifled a gasp.

Both boys were instantly standing. "Sakura-chan! Are you alright?" Naruto practically shouted as he jumped up.

Ugh...so much for being quiet...

She flinched at the loudness of his voice and Sasuke, noticing this, threw an arm in front of him. "You're too loud, dobe." he muttered, eyes on the pinkette. Sakura gave him a grateful look as Naruto calmed down with a nod. Just then, the door opened.

"Oh, Sakura. You're awake…good, get ready to go. We're leaving in two hours, ok?" he looked at Naruto. "You. I need your help, c'mon."

"Alright, Kakashi-sensie!" Naruto said, following him out. Before he shut the door, he turned and grinned at Sasuke. It was mischivious and daring. Sakura wondered why he was grinning like that. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, teme." he grinned.

Oh, so naruto was hinting that maybe they would do something now that they were alone? _"What a baka!"_ Sakura thought, annoyed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as the door closed and his footsteps retreated down the hall. With a small sigh, Sakura slipped her feet to the floor, but winced as she felt her leg throb from the ankle up. Her eyes widened when she saw that a white bandage had been wrapped around her wounds.

"Careful, it might still be swollen." Sasuke's monotone voice took on a more caring tone. Sasuke had done this?

Surprised, she looked up. "When did you…?"

"Learn to do basic medical procedures? I've known for a while." he shrugged, watching her carefully as she tried to stand.

His onyx gaze was worried, but Sakura didn't see this as she focused on seeing if she could put any pressure on her leg. She would walk dammit! She wasn't some helpess little girl who...

A sharp cry from her made him rush over and lift her into his arms before she hit the floor. "Well, I guess walking is out of the question for me…" she sighed, her face a light shade of pink. But from embarrassment or the fact that he was carrying her, Sasuke didn't know. _"Dammit all!" _she thought, hating the fact that she had to be carried.

**But it's **_**Sasuke-kun**_ **who's carrying us!** her inner chimed in a singsong voice.

_"Shut up."_ she snarled inwardly.

"You hungry?" Sasuke asked, snapping her out of her daze. She noticed that he was walking towards the door. "Tazuna had some food made this morning if you want something to eat." he told her.

"Actually, yes. I am hungry." she admitted, blushing when her stomach growled in agreement. He smirked.

S&S&S&S&S&S

After they finished in the kitchen, Sasuke brought Sakura back to the room and she was able to walk, but slowly. She grabbed a change of clothes and entered the bathroom.

The sound of the shower reached Sasuke and he glanced at the bathroom door before heading out onto the balcony.

Sakura POV

At least I was able to walk around now. It would be very hard for me to take a shower if I couldn't even stand up! My face heated at this thought. **Oh, and we could have gotten Sasuke to help us!** my inner smirked.

"_What? No!" _I thought, pushing away the idea at once.

**You know you wouldn't have minded.** she pressed and I felt my blush intensify. She was right. I wouldn't have cared if Sasuke had helped me.

What if it had been, Naruto, though? **Would you have still cared….?** inner asked. I didn't know. Naruto was hyper and loud at times, yes…but he did have a serious side to him. And at least we were a lot closer than I was with Sasuke.

I stepped into the shower, letting the hot water sooth away all the stress and aches in my body. My thoughts drifted and I found myself in a meditative state. By the time I had finished showering and had changed into my clothes, the pain in my leg had diminished and it was a lot easier to walk.

I opened the bathroom door, the steam billowing out behind me and cold air rushing forward to greet me. I Looking around, I noticed the sliding glass door to the balcony was open. Sasuke must have gone out there. My feet were silent as I crossed the carpet and onto the concret outside on the balcony.

"Hey…" I said quietly as I stepped out and stood against the railing, overlooking the glittering water. Sasuke sat in a chair beside me, facing the water.

He glanced up. "Hn."

I smiled wryly. His famous reply…I thought I would never be able to understand him, but it was so easy to decipher what he meant each time. Well, for me anyway. Naruto still got annoyed when he didn't get a straight answer to a question.

The wind shifted and I pulled myself up onto the railing, dangling my legs over the edge. It was so peaceful by the water…

"Thanks, Sasuke." I said softly.

"What for?" he asked. "I should be thanking you…you saved my life."

I smiled. "If you hadn't stopped me from using all my chakra, then I would be the one dead." I replied. He grunted again and didn't say anything.

I looked over my shoulder to see a thoughtful expression on his face. "So…" he said slowly, then looked over at me. "We're even?"

With a small chuckle, I nodded and looked ahead once more. "Yeah, we're even." I echoed, agreeing.

Silence engulfed us again, but it wasn't akward. It was comfortable and soothing. The wind whistled in my ears and I flettened them back to lessen the noise. I could feel Sasuke glance towards me as I swished my tail unconsciously. I always did that...I just had not realized until I noticed that he always looked when I did it. My tail used to draw Naruto's attention as well, but he got used to it.

Suddenly, with a loud bang of the door, the hyperactive fox boy burst into the room and ran out onto the balcony. Speak of the devil...

"Oui, ready to go?" he shouted.

I sighed. Just like Naruto to barge in on a perfectly quiet moment. Turning, I dropped to the floor. A pain shot up my side and I tripped with a startled yelp. I shut my eyes, bracing for the impact of the hard concrete. It never came.

Sasuke had stood and caught me. I blushed, realizing how close we were. "Oops…" I muttered sheepishly, eyes averted. He didn't say anything, only smirked and steadied me by my arms.

"Ehem…if you two _lovebirds_ are quite done…" Naruto began. I flushed and glared at him, quickly taking a step back.

"Naruto!" I growled, bonking him on the head.

He only laughed and ran back into the bedroom and out the door. I followed, still scowling, and wondering at the reason behind the wide smirk that now adorned Sasuke's lips.


	6. Choas

**Okaies! Chapter 6 now, but I still need more votes everyone! Please send them in if ya can!**

**Votes from Reviews! (I now have a poll, so that counts as well!)**

**1) Sasuke - 1 votes**

**2) Naruto – 2 votes**

**3) Gaara- 1 vote**

**4) (couldn't resist XD) Itatchi - 1 vote**

**Disclaimer- Sakura: Goldfire is asleep at the moment and is tired of saying that SHE DOES NOT OWN NARUTO! **

Normal POV

It was time for the Chunin exams. Team 7 had been training really hard for this day. While preperations where being made, the three walked absently down the dirt paths, Naruto chattering the whole way. As usual, Sakura only pretended to listen as he went on and on about things she had no interest in. "Naruto-san!" a little kid called. It was Konahamaru, the Hokage's grandson.

"Oh, hey Konahamaru, wassup?" Naruto smiled at the boy as he ran over with his friends. The kid was looking very annoyed as he stopped in front of the blond.

"You said you were gonna play ninja with us!" he shouted.

Naruto looked sheepish as Sakura rolled her eyes and muttered, "A ninja, _playing_ ninja?"

"Pathetic." Sasuke snorted and she agreed silently.

Knahamaru was pouting and waiting for Naruto to answer him. The blond put a hand on the kid's shoulder. "Gomen, Knahamaru, but I can't play anymore. I'm a real ninja now." He said, smiling.

"What? You graduated?" his eyes lit up and Naruto nodded. "Oh, so cool!"

Naruto chuckled and turned to follow his teammates while the boy went to go play with his friends. "Hey, you wanna die kid?" a voice made them all freeze.

Turning to see what was going on, they saw that Konahamaru had run into a ninja with purple face paint and a puppet strapped to his back. "A puppet ninja…" Sakura muttered, almost thoughtfully.

"Let him go!" Naruto yelled, glaring and pointing at the ninja. They also noticed that he was from the sand. He was a sand nin.

"Why? He shouldn't have gotten in my way." He sneered.

Sakura, not liking the situation, snarled lowly. The sand nin heard this and looked up. His eyes widened when he saw her, but not from fear. "Wow, ain't you pretty?" he said, smirking at her. She frowned and bared her fangs at him.

"Let Konahamaru go." she growled, emerald eyes flashing dangerously. The nin still didn't listen. Suddenly, a stone flew and smacked him in the hand.

"Ow! Hey!" he looked to see Sasuke in a tree and about ready to fling another stone at him.

"Let him go, Kunkuro. Gaara will be angry with you." a female voice spoke and everyone looked up. A blond girl stood up on the fence, a giant fan opened behind her.

"But, Temari, we never get to have any fun!" he whined.

"We're not here to have fun." another, more cold and sinister voice growled as a swirl of sand revealed a red-head standing in the same tree as Sasuke.

The raven-haired boy jumped slightly, startled. _"Why didn't I sense him?"_ he thought angrily.

Kunkuro stuttered and dropped the boy, who took refuge behind Naruto. "G-Gaara! Gomen, I only wanted-!"

"Shut up." he glared at him.

"What are you sand ninja doing here in Koanah?" Naruto shouted.

The girl, Temari, chuckled. "You Leaf nin are a lot dumber than we thought." she sneered. "Have you forgotten that the Chunin exams are today? Other ninja from all over will be entering." while she was speaking, Gaara's eyes strayed to Sakura.

She locked eyes with him and his widened, surprised. "A Hanyou…" he muttered.

Sakura flattened her ears against her skull and glared at him. "This _Hanyou_ has a _name_!" she snapped, tail lashing behind her.

Gaara's surprise vanished and he smirked. "Then…what is it?" he inquired.

For a moment, Sakura blinked, surprised. Her eyes became cautious as she told him, "Sakura Hurano."

"My name is Sabaku No Gaara." he replied smoothly. He nodded at the other two sand nin and they turned to go. "The name suites you." he smirked at Sakura before a whirlwind of sand engulfed him and he was gone.

Sakura blinked, her face a light shade of pink. "_What the hell?"_ she thought.

Sakura POV

I was surprised, to say the least, when the sand nin Gaara asked me my name. He also had looked at me strangely when he noticed that I was a Hanyou.

What was up with that? I fought down the blush that had crept up my neck, glancing at Sasuke from the corner of my eye as he dropped down form the tree and came over to me and Naruto.

He was scowling.

Instantly, I knew he was jealous. But why? Was it because Gaara had made me blush? Or was it because he didn't like it that he had shown an interest in me?

I myself didn't know why he would even speak to me. Why had he singled me out?

**Could it be the fact that you ARE a Hanyou? **inner asked sarcastically.

I sighed inwardly as I followed Sasuke and Naruto as we headed for the start of the exams. _"Oh, shut it. I don't think that would really matter. If so, then he should be __**afraid**__ of me."_ she thought back.

**He wouldn't be afraid.**

_Why?_

**You didn't feel that, girl? He has a demon like Naruto does!**

_Wait…WHAT? _I was shocked when I finally realized what that strange feeling was. Gaara was a demon host…just like Naruto. He was a Jinchuuriki.

Normal POV

Sakura didn't say much as they entered the building leading in for everyone to take their exam. She was quiet until a blur of green zipped forward. "Oh my gosh, you are so beautiful!" a cheerful voice said.

A black-haired boy with black eyes and a strange haircut was grasping Sakura's hands and smiling brightly. "Uh…thanks?" she muttered, looking a little uneasy.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked boldy.

"Uhhh…" Sakura hesitated, surprised. She noticed Sasuke's irritated scowl. "No," she said. "But I'm not looking for one." she pulled her hands away and took a step back.

The boy looked crestfallen, but instantly recovered. "That's fine! I'm Rock Lee, what is your name?" he asked.

"I'm Sakura." she replied, offering a small smile.

He grinned. "You're a Hanyou, correct?"

She cringed slightly. "Uhm, yes, I am." she said slowly, looking at the floor.

"Cool!" he smiled.

Surprised, she looked up, ears pricked in interest. "You think that, that's….cool?" she inquired, a slow, but open and bright smile appearing on her face.

Lee nodded, still grinning. Her smile grew and she laughed lightly. "Wow, I never met anyone who thought being a Hanyou was COOL." she told him.

"Suck up…" Sasuke muttered under his breath.

The boy frowned a bit. "What was that?" he demanded, only to get a grunt in reply. "Oh, I see…you're obviously jealous that I was able to get Sakura-chan here to smile."

"Lee…" Sakura warned.

Too late. Sasuke growled and lunged at him, fist aimed for his face. In a flash, Lee had dodged and kicked him up into the air. _"He's fast…!"_ Sakura thought, shocked.

When both boys where on the ground and about to rush at each other again, Sakura leapt in between them, transforming midair into her white wolf form. She snarled lowly and stood there, head down, eyes on Lee as if to say, 'back off'.

He did and looked away, a sign of weakness. She looked back at Sasuke, eyes telling him that he'd been wrong too. He sighed and nodded, stepping back, but didn't not break her gaze.

Turning back into her human form, she placed her hands on her hips. "We'll see you when the exams begin, Lee." she said; a hint that he should leave. He hesitated. When her gaze remained firm, he nodded and turned, heading for the stairs.

With a sigh, Sakura looked at Sasuke. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she questioned, but her tone level stayed calm and even.

"Yeah, dude…you like, snapped!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke shrugged. "I really don't know." he mumbled quietly. Sakura raised a brow, but said nothing more. He wasn't lying…

"Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme! We gotta go! They're about to start!" Naruto said loudly and ran off. Glancing between each other, Sasuke and Sakura followed.

**And there we have it! R&R please!**


	7. Revilation

_**Sooo, I have finally decided to update….…PLEZ DUN KILL ME! I IZ SOOORRY!**_

_**Sakura: Oh, shut up.**_

_**Goldy (me): You shut up! *glares***_

_**Sasuke: BOTH of you shut up.**_

_**Gaara: *snarls* All of you shut up…**_

_**~Deathly silence~ **_

**Lol, well here is chapter 7! And the votes, too!^^**

**1) Sasuke - 1 vote**

**2) Naruto – 3 votes**

**3) Gaara- 2 votes**

**4) (couldn't resist XD) Itatchi - 3 votes**

**Disclaimer- I own nothing…**

Normal POV

The first test was a written exam. The rules stated that you must pass by answering every question correctly. There was no cheating allowed, but the way the test was written, one HAD to cheat from a smarter ninja if they didn't know any of the information.

The point was not to get caught.

Sakura was finished before a lot of the others, of course. She sat with her head in her heands, eyes scanning the room. It was easy for her to pick out the cheaters. She turned this into a kind of game by herself…she would try to guess out of all the cheaters she saw, which one would get caught.

The first two got caught and she inwardly smirked. She'd been right. Another one she thought was going to get caught didn't. _"Ooo, lucky." _she thought, swishing her tail and smirking.

Finally, the test was over and the proctor, Ibiki, announced that there was one final question. And if one on your team failed to answer, then then the whole team was out and could never try to become a chunnin ever again. Those who decided to quit and try again next year, instead of risking never having another shot, got up and left.

Naruto was about to quit, but Sakura and Sasuke where relived when he didn't chicken out. "Good job, Naruto." Sakura complimented him. He beamed.

The next test was the forest of death.

"Uh, guys…? It's dark in there." Naruto squeaked. His teammates gaped at him in utter disbelief. No way was Naruto afraid of the DARK!

Sakura cocked an eyebrow at him. "Naruto, are you afraid...of the dark?" she questioned.

He stuttered. She glanced at Sasuke and saw him trying his best not to grin. She held back a laugh and snorted. "Oh my gosh…!" she laughed. "No way!"

Naruto began whining, but she only laughed harder. "Sakura-chan, you're mean!" he whined.

"I know." she smiled innocently, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Hey…" Naruto was about to ask if she had any 'plans', but the bell rang and the gate swung open. "Alright, let's go!" he grinned, shooting off into the trees.

S&S&S&S&S&S

They had neared the heart of the forest when they encountered Kabuto, a sound nin who offered to help them. "I know this forest." he said. His eyes landed on Sakura and he smirked. She glared back, laying her ears flat against her skull and baring her fangs. His smirk only widened.

"Why would you help us…?" Sasuke asked slowly.

"Because I consider you and your team the _only _real competition out there." he replied smugly. Sakura rolled her eyes.

Naruto bounced. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"

"Why the rush?" a new voice asked.

Sakura POV

I didn't trust this Kabuto. He seemed to be hiding something, and when he smirked at me, I was sure that he had some sort of evil plot. But why he would smirk at ME, I don't know.

Naruto was all hyped and ready to go. As soon as he voiced this out loud, Gaara appeared. "Why the rush?" he asked lowly, sand swirling around him. I could sense the demon, Shukaku, now. So he did have one…but he wasn't a Hanyou. Just a Jinchuuriki, like Naruto. Still…

**Isn't Gaara so hot? **Inner cooed.

_"Shut up." _I oredered, inwardly rolling my eyes and sighing. I half-expected to hear an argument begin, but Sasuke spoke up and my attention went back to the event at hand.

"What do you want?" Sasuke demanded, stepping half in front of me, blocking my view of Gaara. I leaned around him slightly, eyes curious.

Gaara didn't reply. Before anyone could say anything else, his siblings appeared. "Gaara…we still need the other scroll." the blond, Temari said to him. He nodded and vanished into the trees with her and their brother.

"What was that all about?" Naruto wondered.

"I…" Sasuke cast a sidelong glance at me. "Don't know." he said. But he did. I could tell. He'd known that Gaara's eyes had been on me the whole time.

S&S&S&S&S&S

We had gone a little ways when Naruto disappeared. "Naruto!" I shouted. "This is no time for playing games!"

Silence.

Sasuke growled and kept walking. "That dobe." he muttered darkly.

Just then, the blond came bounding up and looking sheepish. "Sorry, guys." he laughed nervously. "I kinda got lost."

I eyed him suspiciously. He smelled…different. My eyes widened as I realized…I _knew _that smell! It was the smell of a snake. Orochimaru. "You're not Naruto." I snarled lowly, backing away from him and baring my fangs in warning.

"Sakura, what do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

The 'Naruto' chuckled and became a tall man with long, black hair and snake-like eyes. "Orochimaru." I growled.

He chuckled. "Heh, I see you remember me."

"Yes, and I am very much alive." I shot back, glaring daggers at him, the snarl rumbling in my chest.

The snake chuckled again. "That's right. I really should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance." his yellow eyes narrowed. "My offer still stands." he hissed.

I glowered. "Never."

"If only I had managed to kill you…" he sighed, placing a pale hand dramatically to his forehead.

"You cannot stop destiny."

"No," he grinned slyly. "But one can always alter it."

I snarled and nearly lunged at him. "Don't you dare!" I had to keep myself from springing at him. He seemed to see this and grew more cautious.

"I know about your clan, Sasuke." he hissed in a low whisper. "And I can help you get your revenge."

"Stop messing with his head, you bastard!" I screeched. "And what the hell did you do with Naruto?" I was furious. How dare this snake show his face after all these years? How dare he? Naruto had better hurry up and get over here.

**Meh, cliffy! I have to stop here and find my imagination. It has escaped its jar… Anyways! R&R please! I'll give everyone a GIANT cookie if they do! ^_^**


	8. Aftermath

**Ok, updating once again because I feel like it and I have time.^_^ Soooo, the votes are as follows…**

**Sasuke- 2 votes**

**Naruto- 3 votes**

**Gaara- 2 votes**

**Itachi- 4 votes (O.O wow)**

_**And I'd like to thank Sakura-Hime for the review! You made me feel so happy! I finally got a review, yaaaay! Not sure if it was ananymous or not...o.O I need to check that out.**_

**Anywayz, I'm going to pair Sakura with whoever wins in the end, but the runner up I will put her with somehow! I've been thinking of killing off someone….. WE SHALL SEE! Okaies, chappie 8!**

**Disclaimer- Again…? *sighs* I dun own Naruto, ok? Got it? Good.**

Sakura POV

"Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme!" Naruto shouted as he raced up. He saw Orochimaru and made a face. I looked over at him, my expression serious.

"Naruto, what happened?" I demanded.

The blond grunted and glared at Orochimaru. "That stupid snake guy caught me by surprise and tied me up." he frowned.

"Dobe…" Sasuke snorted.

I glared at him. "Sasuke, this is no time for arguing…" I began, but was cut off as Kabuto suddenly lunged at me. What? I yelped in surprise and stumbled back, trying to twist away from him. Naruto gaped.

"No way! He's on that snake dude's team?"

"Let me go!" I snarled from beneath the silver-haired nin. He smirked from where he pinned me, knowing very well that his weight kept me immobilized. And though I was baring my fangs at him and snarling viciously, he knew I couldn't get free.

Or…at least he thought so.

I gave a roar and twisted violently, knocking Kabuto off–balance and leaping away, transforming into my white wolf form. Yes, take that four eyes! "Dammit!" he cursed. He chased after me as I tried to stop Orochimaru from giving Sasuke the curse mark.

I knew what that wretched snake was up to. He had offered me a place among his ranks. When I'd refused, he had tried to place a curse mark on me. Luckily, I had just as good reflexes back then as I did now, and was able to dodge his bite. Sasuke wouldn't be so lucky if I didn't get there. Fast.

Naruto had joined the Uchiha in fighting Orochimaru. He was almost as fast as Sasuke, but not quite…and Orochimaru was a lot faster. At least Sasuke was able to hold him off.

Kabuto made a leap for me, but I dodged out of the way and snapped at his hands. He scowled and pulled his fingers out of the way of my gleaming teeth. Good idea. I could snap those little fingers of his and rip his whole hand apart. He was a lot smarter than I anticipated. He stood infront of me, eyes glinting behind thos glasses of him.

"Sakura, why do you refuse?" he asked lowly, his eyes cold and dark.

_Because I will not become some __**toy **__for that fool to control! _I snarled, my thoughts entering his mind as if I'd spoken them out loud.

"You know how powerful you could be?" he questioned.

I snorted. _Don't care._ I replied. And I meant it, too. Power meant _nothing_ at all to me. I really could care less who had what and who did this or that...as long as I was left alone and got to do things _my_ way. Seeing my chance, I turned away and raced off again. He cursed and followed after me. What an idiot...

Normal POV

Orochimaru smirked as he realized that Sasuke was starting to tire. He'd already taken out that stupid, loud fox boy…now, all he had to do was slow down the Uchiha brat long enough to get that curse seal on him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sakura race up in her wolf form. It was now or never.

Making the hands seals quickly, the snake sannin's head shot out just like a snake and his fangs sank into Sasuke's neck. The raven-haired boy screamed in pain.

Sasuke heard Sakura's shout as he collapsed. The pain raced through his veins and was white-hot and burned. "Sasuke!" Sakura dropped to the ground beside him and grasped his hand in her own. He tightened his grip painfully, but she didn't care.

"I hope you decided soon...Sasuke..." Orochimaru hissed as he vanished into the trees with Kabuto beside him.

"That damned Kabuto." Sakura snapped, a low rumble in her throat. She looked around until she spotted Naruto and sighed. "Sasuke, you better live through this."

S&S&S&S&S&S

The chirp of a bird echoed through the dark forest. Sakura had found a sheltered tree and stopped there with Sasuke and Naruto. Both of them were passed out. She frowned as she looked down at Sasuke. At least he seemed he was going to survive the curse seal…

A flutter of leaves caught her attention.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" a haughty voice asked. The sound team, Team Dosu, stood at the edge of the trees, their leader, Dosu, smirking widely.

Sakura frowned. "What do you want?" she growled lowly.

Zaku stepped forward. "We know your team has the Earth Scroll. We have the Heaven Scroll, and we need yours." he grinned.

"So? It's not like I'm just gonna hand it over to you idiots." she snorted, glaring at them, especially the girl, Kin.

Dosu chuckled and walked closer. Sakura tensed. Would the traps she set up work? He saw her tense up and stopped, expression darkening as he narrowed his eyes. He pulled his arm into view and she saw the device strapped to it.

Making a hand seal, a high pitched squeal came from the device and blew all her traps away or set them off. Sakura winced not only at the sound, but at the fact that he'd discovered her.

**You shouldn't have tensed. **inner muttered.

"_Shut up, I don't need your input right now." _she shot back.

"You really thought a few little traps like that would have stopped me?" Dosu sneered.

Sakura growled back. "No, but it was worth a shot." she smirked, openly mocking him. He glared at her. "What? No snappy comeback?" she asked smugly.

He roared and rushed towards her. In a flash, she'd stood up and blocked his path, swinging her leg around in a solid roundhouse kick. Surprised, he barely managed to block it and stumbled back a few feet.

**Lucky… **inner hissed.

Sakura ignored her inner and launched another kick. This time, Dosu caught her leg and threw her back. With a grunt, she twisted and regained her balance, throwing a punch at his face.

She caught him on the jaw, but didn't see Zaku appear behind her. The wailing of the device on his arms made her shriek and cover her sensitive ears. Kin took the advantage. She grabbed ahold of Sakura's hair and dragged her to the ground.

"Heh, your hair is _**so **_much softer than mine. Is that because you're a **half-breed**?" she sneered, laughing. Sakura growled and pulled out a Kunai. Kin snorted, "What do you think you can do to me with that?" she demanded.

"Who said it was for you?" Sakura smiled darkly.

Kin gasped as the pinkette reached back and cut her own hair, freeing herself from the Sound nin's grasp. Quickly, Sakura raced off after Zaku, who was going after Sasuke.

He made a sound of shock as she punched him, sending him sprawling back a few feet. With a growl, he returned the blow. She stumbled, but used that to her advantage as she performed the substitution jutsu. She did this until Zaku thought he had her moves figured out. Once he thought she was going to come from the left or behind him, she remained in the air as she dropped down on him, kunai poised to stab into his chest.

"Gah, you bitch!" he yelled, cursing as she landed on him, fangs digging into his arm she bit him and tried to stab him.

He punched at her, trying to get her off, but could not. Finally, with the help of Kin and Dosu, he managed to knock her aside. She glared up at him as he ranted angrily and stood up, setting his deadly intentions on her.

"Sakura-chan!" a voice called.

Team Gai burst onto the scene and Sakura couldn't help but feel relived as she called out to the green, spandex-clad boy with a bad haircut. "Lee!"

**All done for this chapter! Man, that was fast…I did it in one sitting at the library. xD haha! R&R please and you get giant cupcakes with rainbow frosting!^^**

**Ok, I dunno if I'll have any muse to update as quickly as I just did. It's weird. I'll get this burst of insperation and when I post like...2 or 3 chapters, it's all gone and I don't feel like posting anymore. Ahwell, at least I can poast at all. :3**


	9. Rest

**Hiiiiiya! I'm baaack! Ok, chapter 9 coming up! I'm gonna try working on chapter 10 over the end of this week, and **_**hopefully**_**, I'll have it up by Saturday. Hopefully. Anywayz, here we go!^^**

**Disclaimer – I own nothing…**

_**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I got two that said 'awesome' so thaaaanx! Yeah, I think it's coming along nicely. I'm gonna start on the Maximum Ride story a little later. I have some ideas for it that I'm gonna jot down. I hope everyone keeps following this story and I like the input a lot! Keep voting, please! So far, it's a tie and I need a tie-breaker here!**_

_**Goldy**_

_**NOTE: THE VOTES WILL NOW BE DISPLAYED IN MY PROFILE. YOU CN STILL VOTE. WE HAVE A TIE RIGHT NOW AND THE POLL IS STILL THERE.**_

Normal POV

"Sakura, are you alright?" Lee shouted, waving at her. She nodded and got her feet, stumbling slightly, but keeping her balance.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" she called back.

Gai and Tenten attacked Zaku and Kin. Dosu slipped through and managed to evade attention for a few moments. But a few moments was all he needed. He raised his arm with the sound device and a high-pitched squeal emitted, ringing through the air.

Everyone beside his team dropped to the forest floor, hands covering their ears at the noise. Sakura, with her heightened senses, screamed and fell to her knees. Zaku took the advantage and attacked. "Sakura!" Lee exclaimed, gritting his teeth and trying to get up.

"No you don't!" Neji growled, forcing his way to his feet and launching himself at the sound nin, open palm slamming into his shoulder.

Gai had rushed at Dosu, throwing the man off-balance and disrupting the sound device. "Neji, watch it!" he warned. The Hyuuga whirled, striking Kin as she tried to sneak up from behind. She gasped and hit the ground.

A sudden, dark chakra made everyone still and look over at Sasuke. He was standing, his chakra so thick that it swirled around him in a purple cloud. "Sakura," he said lowly. "Who did this?"

"Team Dosu attacked…" she said quietly, eyes wide as she stared at him. So that's what the curse seal did to people. The purple chakra shifted and he turned to look over at the three members of the sound team.

"Zaku, we should get out of here…!" Kin hissed, backing away.

He snorted. "No way! That Uchiha brat doesn't scare me." he glared, taking a step forward.

In a flash, Sasuke was behind him and had his arms drawn back, a wicked grin on his face. "Let's see how you fare without these arms." he said darkly, bracing a leg against Zaku's back and yanking his arms backwards.

The sickening snap of bones breaking echoed through the trees. Zaku screamed and struggled to get away, but Sasuke didn't let go, intent on ripping his arms off.

"Sasuke, stop it!" Sakura yelled breathlessly. She jumped up and rushed towards him, throwing her arms around him. "Stop, Sasuke-kun…this isn't you." she said softly. The chakra faded and he let go of Zaku, who fled with his team.

"Sakura…?" he turned to see the pinkette gazing up at him with a grim frown, but the worried fear was evident in her eyes.

"Don't do that, Sasuke." she said. "You scared me."

Sakura POV

I had no idea the curse seal could be that strong. It had overwhelmed Sasuke and he'd gotten lost in the madness. _"This isn't good. Orochimaru is a lot slyer than before…"_ I thought as we walked. Itachi didn't want Sasuke to be lured in by that snake. He'd specifically asked me to keep Orochimaru away from him.

"_I failed. Itatchi'll hate me for life." _I grumbled, inwardly cursing.

**Are you sure he'd hate you? I mean, **_**c'mon**_**! He's our best friend!**

"_Yeah, but…"_

**No, 'yeah but' anything! Listen…if he's really our friend, he'll know that we tried.**

I didn't respond to that. I didn't know what to say. Sure, Itachi has been my friend from the start, but I've never failed at doing something he asked ever before. I always accomplished these things.

"You cut your hair." a voice broke into my revere.

"Huh?" I looked up to see Sasuke had fallen into step beside me. "Oh, yeah, I did." I muttered, feeling my face turn red at his attention.

He tugged on a stray lock and continued forward. "I like it." he said as he passed. For a moment, I stopped, unsure of what to think. Sasuke would have never said something like that before. He was acting strange.

"H-hey! Wait for me!" I realized I was being left behind and broke into a run to catch up.

Naruto grinned. "We made it, Sakura-chan!" he said brightly, waving the scrolls in his hands. I smiled at his childishness. Sasuke snorted from up ahead and I rolled my eyes. Had I really just though that he was acting different?

**Oh, please. Sasuke will never change. **inner chided, shaking her head and sighing. **He's too proud-**

"_And stuck up!" _I interjected with a grin.

My inner laughed. **Got that right. He's a proud and stuck up jerk!**

"_But he's still Sasuke."_

**Heh, yeah. He is…he's still Sasuke.**

S&S&S&S&S&S

Sakura POV

The second part of the tournament was to be one-on-one battles. Everyone had their name paired with someone else randomly and they would fight. Sasuke and Naruto both won theirs, but Sasuke had to be taken somewhere due to the curse mark. Sadly, I fought Ino and it ended in a tie. Even my wolf form didn't scare her…huh…

After all was said and done, we were given a little break to prepare for the finals. I went with Naruto to the Itcharaku. "…win, you know that, right Sakura?"

I turned to look at him. "What? Oh! Sorry, Naruto, I really wasn't paying attention." I muttered sheepishly. He chuckled.

"It's alright. The Chunnin exams must be on your mind. Man, this is the hardest…" his voice trailed off as I drifted into my thoughts again. Actually, I wasn't thinking about the exams at all. But really, like I would tell him that? He was always so oblivious anyway.

I was supposed to meet Itachi tonight. He'd sent me a letter on a black and red bird named, Koaru. That bird was pretty mean. He always tried to bite me! Good thing he knows that I'll smack him if he ever _does _bite me.

He was a good bird despite that.

Someone came and sat down a chair away and I glanced up to see who it was. It was Sabaku No Gaara. He ate ramen, too? Must be a Jinchuuriki thing. "Erm…ohayo, Gaara-san." I said, lifting a hand in greeting.

He looked over and nodded at me. His eyes landed on Naruto and I tilted my head curiously as his teal gaze became a little more intense. Of course. His demon, Shukaku, must be telling him about the Kyuubi.

"Sakura, you know that he has a demon, too?" Naruto tapped my shoulder. I turned to face him.

"Yeah, I know. Why?"

He shrugged and slurped up another bite of ramen. "I dunno…just curious, I guess. I didn't know if you could tell or not."

"Naruto, I'm a Hanyou." I grinned, fangs glinting in the sunlight. "Of course I can tell." I flicked an ear back in Gaara's direction. I knew he was listening. He didn't seem anything but intrigued as Naruto and I spoke.

"You know…we should get some training in." I said, standing up and placing a few bills on the counter.

"Hey, Sakura! Can you-!"

"Nope." I turned and headed out. "I'm not paying for you. You should take care of yourself." he began to whine, but I ignored it. As I passed by Gaara, I glanced at him. "See you at the exams…Gaara." I smiled slightly and went out.

I saw his eyes widen a fraction in surprise and held back a giggle.

**That's chapter 9 peeps! Please, please, PLEASE R&R! I need some thoughts on this. Is it good as it is? Any ideas? No flames plze! **

**Sakura: Quickly, the fire extinguisher! **

**Naruto: What? Gah, okay! *screams and runs off to find one***

**Lol, until next time. Bies!**


	10. Destruction

**Alrighty, here's chappie 10! Yaaaay! Got it up before Saturday! **

_**Thanks to fantasy. for their review! Your vote and suggestion has been taken into account. And hmmm….a love triangle between the Uchiha brothers and Sakura…what does everyone think of fantasy's idea? I might throw Gaara in there, but he might end up as more of a brother to her than anything. Anywayz! Thank you again, fantasy!**_

_**Goldy**_

**Disclaimer – *snorts* I **_**wish**_** I owned Naruto.**

Sakura POV

I was only training so that, even though I would not be in the finals, at least afterward I wouldn't have grown soft. Sparring with Naruto was amusing. He was easily frustrated and I got a kick out of it. "Heh, too slow!" I chimed, leaping elegantly out of the blonde's reach again. He growled and jumped at me. "Oh, c'mon, Naruto! Grandmothers can move faster than that!"

"Stop taunting me!" he whined and I laughed.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but you're so funny when you're mad." I teased again. He huffed and crossed his arms. I grinned. "And adorable, too!"

He dropped his arms. "What? No I'm not! Ninjas aren't adorable!" he wailed. By now I was literally rolling on the ground with laughter. I heard footsteps approach and instantly stood up, smiling as I saw who was coming to join us.

"Ohayo, Hinata-chan." I smiled. She smiled shyly back, her pale gaze landing on Naruto.

She hesitated, then said, "H-hi, Naruto-kun. How a-are you today?" her face was turning slightly pink and I inwardly smirked as I realized why she was always so nervous around the fox boy.

Naruto grinned broadly at her and greeted her in his usual manner. They started a conversation, so I wandered off towards the trees. The sun was setting. I would have to meet Itachi when the moon rose. "Uhm, Naruto." I said, going over to him. "I have to get home now. There are things I need to do." I hugged him.

With a swish of my tail, I glanced at Hinata with a smile. "See you later, Hinata." I hugged her, too and turned to walk off.

"Bye, Sakura-chan!" Naruto waved. I heard the Hyuuga princess mutter a soft farewell and waved back once before racing off towards my home.

Normal POV

"Again with the taking your sweet old time." a deceivingly sweet voice said as Itachi slipped from the shadows. He smirked lightly.

"Nice to see you too, Sakura." he responded smoothly, used to her verbal jabs and sometimes short temper. He stood in front of her and let his expression turn serious as he spoke. "How did Orochimaru get to Sasuke?" he inquired.

Her shoulders visibly tensed and her wolf ears flattened back slightly against her rosette hair. "He took us by surprise." she muttered. "A sound nin by the name of Kabuto signed up for the Chunnin exams…no one knew he was working for that Snake, not even I." she frowned, tail lashing behind her.

"Why couldn't you tell?" Itachi asked, curious as to how this Kabuto had escaped the wolf girl's sensitive nose. He should have at least carried Orochimaru's scent, having worked with him.

Sakura paused for a moment. "It was as if…he didn't work for anyone. He had no trace of any other smell except his own." she muttered softly.

The Uchiha thought for a quiet moment. "Could it be that he works with Orochimaru, yet his loyalty does not lie with him? perhaps his loyalty goes to no one. Maybe that would explain it."

"Hmmm, could be. If that is so, then Orochimaru's scent doesn't stay with him." she shrugged.

"And that means he can turn against him, if a better opportunity arises." he said slowly, looking over at Sakura. Her eyes lit up with realization.

Itachi inwardly smirked. She'd always been a quick thinker and a good ninja. he was sure she'd have some sort of plan by sunrise. "I'll give you some time to think about this." he turned to leave, but stopped, hesitating.

Sakura tilted her head and pricked her ears. His scent had become slightly nervous. "Itachi?" she inquired.

"Just make sure Sasuke doesn't go to that snake. Do all you can." his deep voice filled the stillness.

She blinked, waiting to see if he'd say more. He did not. "I promise to do all I can, Itachi." she said. At her words, he vanished into the darkness.

S&S&S&S&S&S

The finals were starting, and Sakura began to feel a little worried as she scanned the growing crowd. "Where the hell is Sasuke?" she asked, looking at Naruto, who was jumping excitedly beside her.

"I dunno, but I hope he makes it. It would be bad if he didn't!" the blond replied.

"Duh." she growled, flicking her tail. She looked up into the stands. "I'm going to go and find a seat, okay? I'll save you one for later." she patted him on the back and ran off. "Good luck!"

Naruto beamed and then went off to wait with the other participating ninja. (Everyone already knows what happened! xD if you don't, then you should go watch Naruto.)

As Sasuke and Gaara's fight drew near, Sakura grew more and more anxious. Where was her teammate? Finally, in a whirl of leaves, he and Kakashi appeared in the middle of the area. "Of course he had to make a grand entrance." Naruto grouched from beside her.

Sakura giggled. "Sasuke!" she called, waving down at him. He smirked and lifted a hand in greeting.

"You better win, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto yelled. She saw his shoulders rise and fall with a snort as he turned towards Gaara. He was confident, but Sakura grimaced at the ominous feeling that swelled up inside her. Something bad was going to happen…

But what?

Sakura POV

The fight started off like all the rest. It was obvious that Sasuke had become a LOT faster, but Gaara's sand-shield was just as fast, and he was having a hard time at getting through. Naruto cheered loudly from beside me, and I could hear Ino shrieking her head off.

I silently cheered Sasuke on, as well, but I was distracted. That feeling of doom wouldn't go away. I scanned the stands and above, where the Hokage and the Kazakage sat, watching the fight.

Siddenly, white, fluffy feathers began drifting down all around the crowd. What the…? "A Genjutsu!" I gasped, lifting my hands and performing the hands seals for realizing it as quickly as I could. "Kai!" I muttered, and looked around.

Everyone had fallen asleep. I performed the release on Naruto and he woke up. "What? Sakura, what happened?" he asked, dazed.

"A Genjutsu…someone casted one." I replied grimly, in a low voice. "We can't let them know we're awake, c'mon."

Before we could move, an explosion came from above. The Hokage! I looked up to see that the Kazakage was attacking him! But why? What was going on? A giant snake slithered over the wall to the North of the village and I narrowed my eyes. "Orochimaru." I snarled lowly.

"What? That snake guy is here?"

"Stop yelling, Naruto!" I whispered urently. He shut up instantly.

I looked around and noticed that Shikamaru was lying among the other people who'd fallen asleep. Only one thing...he wasn't asleep like they were. "Shikamaru, get up." I let a low rumble escape from me as I poked him hard on the arm. "You suck at pretending, you know that right?"

He grumbled and sat up, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner. "Man, how troublesome." he sighed, standing up and facing me and Naruto.

"Oh, don't be so lazy!" I hissed lowly.

"So what's going on?"

I explained that Orochimaru was after the Hokage, Sarutobi, and that Sasuke had gone after Gaara. "You go after Sasuke." I nodded at the fox boy. He looked serious as he nodded once and ran off. "C'mon, Shikamaru. Let's go help the Hokage-sama!" we shot off to where Orochimaru and Sartobi stood facing each other. Four more sound nin stood at each corner of the roof. Wonderful...we were out numbered.

Normal POV

Orochimaru grinned evilly at Sarutobi. He knew he was going to win; his plan had worked perfectly. He raised his hands, begining some hand seals. "Orochimaru!" a voice snarled, and then a white wolf was before him. He lowered his hands with a smirk.

"Why hello there, Sakura." he hissed in a slithery voice.

_"Leave Sarutobi alone." _she thought to him menancingly. Her thoughts echoed in his mind as if she had spoken the out loud.

He gave a cruel smile. "Now why would I do such a thing? He stands in my way..." as he said this, he signaled the other four ninja and they performed a few hand seals. Shikamaru, who was out of sight, cursed as a transparent force feild rose up, blocking him from getting to Sakura.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Let the girl leave, Orochimaru." Sarutobi spoke up, stepping forward. "This is between you and me."

Orochimaru laughed. "I can't let my next apprentice go!"

_"Like hell I'll ever serve you!"_

"Oh you will. Once Sasuke joins my side, I'm sure you'll see differently."

_"Sickening bastard!"_ she spat, getting ready to lunge at him.

Sarutobi's hushed voice stopped her. "Sakura, you can escape this barrier thanks to your wolf demon blood. Get out of here!" he ordered, glancing towards Shikamaru.

_"I won't leave you."_ she replied.

"There is nothing you can do. Go!"

_"But..."_

"NOW!"

With a startled yelp, she raced to the edge of the sheild. Orochimaru moved to stop her, but Sarutobi blocked his path. Sakura glanced back. With a hiss, he attacked the Hokage. "Sakura!" Shikamaru called. She turned to see the genius waiting for her. This time, she continued on and didn't look back. She hoped Sarutobi would be alright. She stopped by Shikamaru and looked up at him.

_"Let's go after Sasuke and Naruto." _she thought to him. He nodded and they raced off into the trees.

**There we go! Hope it didn't suck...I made it longer than chapter 9 cuz I noticed I had made that one really short. Sorry bout that! Anywayz, R&R and I'll give you a bear hug! ^^**


	11. Intermission

**Ok, here it is. Chapter 11! Took me long enough…and of course, things will be altered because this is my fanfic and not the anime.^^**

**Disclaimer- I dun own! Whaaaaa!**

Normal POV

Sasuke was getting irritated. _"Dammit! I can't get past that fucking sand!" _he thought angrily. Another blast of Gaara's sand sent him flying, but he twisted and landed on his feet. He would not let this bastard win!

"Sasuke!" a stern, yet worried voice reached his ears and he glanced over to see Sakura and Shikamaru running his way.

Gaara to the advantage of his distraction and lashed out. The sand hit the Uchiha directly and he was sent flying once again. "Argh!" he hit a tree and slumped to his knees. In a flash, Sakura had appeared in front of him. "Sakura…?"

He had never seen her fight, so this was surprising. Even more surprising, was that she was just as fast as he was. Gaara's sand struck out at her again and again, but couldn't land any hits. Sakura couldn't land any hits either, though, because like him, she couldn't break through the red-head's defenses.

Naruto sprang up suddenly and attacked. He got through the sand, but was instantly thrown back. "Naruto!" Shikamaru yelled and tackled the blond out of the way before the sand could stike him.

"This is getting dangerous." Sakura muttered. She noticed that Gaara was attacking Naruto and paused for a brief moment. That was all the demon host needed. The sand quickly shot out at her and pinned her to a tree.

Sasuke looked up at Sakura's shriek and cursed. "Sasuke-teme! Get off your lazy ass and help her!" Naruto shouted.

"Shut up!" Sasuke yelled back, struggling to stand up.

"Wait, Naruto!" Shikamaru tried to stop the blond, but he shot forward, rushing at Gaara. The sand tightened around Sakura and she cried out. Naruto froze.

"Let her go, you bastard!" he snarled.

But Gaara wasn't listening. He was arguing with Shukaku, his head in his hands. The sand continued to swirl madly around him, keeping the other ninja at bay. _"Stop, Shukaku. That's Sakura!" _he thought to the raccoon demon.

**Sakura? The Hanyou that we met in the beginning of the Chunin exams? **The demon growled back in question.

"_Hai, that's right."_ he replied.

Shukaku gave a roar and the sand dissapeared from around the pink-haired girl. She plummeted towards the ground, but Sasuke leaped up and caught her. "Sakura?" he asked, touching her shoulder.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Always catching me…when I fall, ne?" she mumbled with a small grin.

"Always." he replied, letting his smirk become a half-smile.

Sakura felt her heart flutter unaturally. _"Strange..." _she thought. "Um, Sasuke, can you put me down?"

"Are you sure you're alright?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I think I can get Gaara to calm down. You and Naruto can back me up, right?" she responded, facing him as he set her down on her feet. He nodded silently.

"What are you going to do…?" he asked, eyeing her carefully. "Don't put yourself in danger for someone like him…"

Sakura gave a low growl and he trailed off, surprised. "Sasuke, every life is valuble. Gaara cannot control his demon because no one _cares_ enough to help him. If Naruto haden't joined our team," she turned to look at Gaara and the swirling sand. "He wouldn't have turned out the way he did. He would have ended up like Gaara."

"What?" Sasuke's eyes widened.

"That's how Naruto would've been without any friends." at this, she walked forward, closer to the red-head. "Now, watch my back!" she called over her shoulder.

"Naruto!" Sasuke beconed the fox boy over. He came closer and the two kept a wary on the sand-user.

Sakura went as close as she could without the sand attacking. "Gaara! You can control it, I know you can! Don't let your anger blind you!" she shouted over the rush of sand and wind. The sand spun wildly, but Sakura didn't flinch and continued to move closer. She made it to where Gaara was standing. "Gaara, you're not alone." she said, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder.

The sand slowed and soon, he looked up with wide eyes. "What are you…doing here?" he finally asked, his expression surprised, confused and a little wary.

"What? Is it bad that I just helped you?" she asked softly, tilting her head and blinking. She swished her tail and inwardly smirked as Gaara's attention was drawn to it.

"No, it's not bad." he replied quietly, looking back up at her.

She smiled. "Good. Then let's go. The Chunin exams are pretty much over." she told him, turning to go back to her teammates.

Gaara remained still for a moment, until his team –his siblings- Temari and Kunkuro, rushed up with worried looks. "Gaara! What happened? You okay?" Kunkuro wailed. Temari watched her younger brother with a curious gaze.

"Gaara…?" she asked, following his gaze and seeing the pink-haired Hanyou named Sakura.

"She's…different." the red-head finally muttered.

Kunkuro snorted. "Yeah, and such a hottie!" he exlaimed, looking at the Hanyou girl as well.

"Put a sock in it!" Temari ordered him, smacking him in the back of the head. He cringed and backed away.

"Owww! That hurt, Temari!" he whined.

Gaara ignored the two as they began arguing and bickering as usual. He watched as Sakura spoke to her team briefly before heading off with them. She was an interesting person. And she was a Hanyou. Like him, she had demon aspects, but…she was actually half-demon instead of just a host for one.

"Oui, Gaara. Are we going yet?" Temari demanded, hands on her hips.

He turned to face his sister and brother. "Hn…let's go." he said, jumping up into the trees. He glanced back once before racing off with his team. Sakura. He would see her again.

**There it is! **

**Hey, you see that little link there? Yes, I know you do. Click it! Please, it'd be nice of you to review!^^ Oh, and I'll give you a virtual hug if you'd be so kind as to click the button! If you don't review, I will become you're worst nightmare…:D**

**YOU'RE MOTHER INLAW! Lol, until next time! **


	12. Devistation

**FINALLY! With Christmas over and everything back to normal (well, as normal as my life can get) I am back to writing chapters for my fanfiction! I'm so sorry everyone for the delay (that is if anyone is actually keeping up with this XD) and things should be in full swing around next week.**

**So! Without any further adou! Here it is, chapter 12!**

**Dislcaimer – I will never own Naruto :'(**

Normal POV

There it was again. A pulse at his neck, where the Curse Seal was. It was a bit painful and Sasuke was getting irritated with it.

_You desire power. So that you can take revenge on your older brother. I can give you that power…_

The memory flashed in his mind again and again. Power. It was what he wanted. And he'd be able to destroy Itachi. Yes, it was _exactly_ what he wanted.

The power to kill his older brother. Take revenge. He'd always dreamed of it, and now, Orochimaru was going to give him the power to do so. It was too good to be true, but it was, and he was going to take it. Deciding to go for a walk, Sasuke went out. No one really be out at this late hour.

So he thought.

Sakura POV

Going for a walk when it was nearly midnight would have had some people tell you that you were just plain crazy, but I would have told them to shut the fuck up and don't say anything unless they try it. It was a calm night. The moon was only half-full, but its light was bright and almost warm.

Being a wolf Hanyou, I adored looking up at the moon. It was simply beautiful.

The sound of voices caught my ears. Who else was out here this late? I thought I was the only one who took midnight strolls. Guess I was wrong. Huh. I followed the voices to the biggest tree in Kohana. Hmmm…there were ninja up there…?

"We have a message from Orochimaru-sama." A cold, slithery voice said.

I froze. That sounded like someone I knew. Someone who shouldn't even be in Kohana. It was Sakon. He was one of the Sound Four that were Orochimaru's body guards. What the hell where they doing here?

"A message?"

Sasuke! Of course! They'd come to try and get him to go to that damn snake! Rage welled up inside me, but I didn't move. With all four of them here, there was no way I could defeat them all and get away with my life. I heard Kidomaru snort. "Of course. Orochimaru has already spoken with you, has he not?"

"He has." Sasuke replied.

Holy shit, was he actually going to _listen_ to them? Was he going to…leave? Go to Orochimaru? _"He can't…"_ I thought. No way. Why would he?

**Because he's a stupid power-hungry idiot?** Inner chimed not-so-helpfully. I didn't reply, just listened to catch more of what was being said in the branches above me.

"Orochimaru requests your presence." that was Tayuya. She was the only woman on the Sound Four team and the hardest to keep down. She also was super vain. Kind of like Ino, except that she just _wasn't _pretty.

"And if I refuse?"

What? Really? He's considering refusing? That was just totally awesome! I breathed a sigh of relief, but soon regretted it. "Who's there?" Kidomaru yelled. I moved to run, but Jirobo leaped down and caught me, his arms like logs around me as he jumped back up obediently to the spider-like ninja.

"It's Sakura." Ukon, the other part of Sakon said in a sickly sweet voice. He looked pleased to see me, but not in a good way.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked. "You know them?"

"Of course she does," Tayuya grinned. "We used to train together, remember? Been a long time, girly."

I snarled, twisting and trying to snap at Jirobo's hands. He shifted and I could hear him chuckle. "She's grown so much that it's harder to keep my hands away from her teeth." he said.

"Go choke on an apple!" I snapped, jerking one arm free. This was SO not good.

"Haha, same temper I see." Kidomaru smirked darkly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Let her go." he growled. Even I was surprised at that. I mean, this was _Sasuke_…the boy who didn't give a rat's ass if Naruto was in the way of a windmill shurikin.

"Alright, Jirobo. You heard him." Sakon said.

Wait…what was going on? Why did they just suddenly listen to Sasuke like that? The moment I thought it, I got my answer. "You actually listened to me?" Sasuke questioned suspiciously as I was set down on my feet. I was instantly standing next to him, fangs bared and in a crouched defensive stance.

Sakon and Ukon laughed at this. "She's really hates us, brother." Sakon said mildly. Ukon chortled. "Indeed." he nodded. How they saw that as _funny_, I have absolutely no idea.

"Orochimaru told us that we are to serve you, so we must obey." Tayuya shrugged at Sasuke question.

Oh, lord. That snake bastard! I'll KILL him!

Sasuke didn't say anything to this. "Sasuke?" I asked quietly. No. No, he couldn't be thinking of going to Orochimaru! He didn't look at me. Why wasn't he looking at me, dammit! He can't go! I won't fail! "Sasuke-kun!" I snapped half-heartedly.

Surprisingly, this actually got his attention and he glanced at me. "Well…" Kidomaru began lowly. "We shall leave you to think this over, Sasuke. Until we meet again." and the Sound Four slunk off into the night.

Why leave so suddenly? Unless they thought that I'd follow Sasuke if he left. **You would…** inner said quietly.

Heh, I would wouldn't I?

"I'm going home to go to bed." Sasuke muttered, turning to go. I jumped down after him without a word. Was he really…? I had my doubts. That look on his face…He wasn't going to go home and _stay_ home, that was for sure. He was going to leave.

I just had to be there to stop him.

Normal POV

How Sakura knew all of the Sound Four, Sasuke didn't know…but it was clear that she DID know them all. They'd trained together did they? That was what the red-head had said. It hadn't occurred to him until now that Sakura, being a Hanyou, had a longer life span.

She probably knew a lot of things that he didn't.

What _really_ pissed him off was that she wasn't telling him anything. She kept things secret, even if they were about him or his family.

That's what drove him to finally make a decision. His anger. And also his thirst for power. He needed to get away, leave it all behind. He wanted to destroy his older brother once and for all. He wanted…and _needed_ this power that Orochimaru offered him.

He needed it, and was going to take it.

**Sorry it's so short. Don't worry! The next chappie will be loooong! XD Please review and let me know if I should continue everyone!**


	13. Suspicion

**Okay, ya'll convinced me. Thanks soooooo much! I wasn't sure really if anyone was reading or keeping up with this. I'm glad you guys told me so! Thanx!**

_**SasuLovesSaku4Ever – Eeep! Okay, no problem there!^^ Lol, I'm glad you're enjoying it. Thank you!**_

_**silverwolfigther00 – You're doing fine and thanks so much for the review! If ya need any advice, don't hesitate to ask (but honestly, I could be still considered a newb too xD).**_

_**born to lose 7 – I'm so happy that there are still GaaSaku lovers out there! Thanks for the review and I won't (try to) abandon this story again.**_

**Disclaimer – I dun own Naruto or any of its characters!**

Normal POV

Sakura wasn't waiting for too long when Sasuke was seen walking up the path toward the gates. In her wolf form, her white coat gleamed under the moonlight and he spotted her before she even moved. "Sakura." he said flatly.

That one word, her name, hung between them for a few moments as they stared at each other. Then, Sasuke sighed and continued to walk forward.

She growled and lowered her head.

"I won't let you stop me." he stated lowly, eyes narrowing.

In wolf form, she could not speak. A low whine escaped her mouth. She dared not change back, for Sasuke might easily overpower her then. Apparently, he realized this, too. "Go home, Sakura." he said.

She stood her ground, emerald gaze challenging.

Sasuke didn't move, his own darker eyes boring into hers. He wasn't going to back down. She had to change back to talk to him, so he wasn't moving until she did. Finally, she became irritated enough to shift back into her human form. "You know nothing good will come of this." she told him quietly.

He shrugged. "Don't care." he replied. Her eyes flashed, but she said nothing at all. "I'm leaving. I won't let you get in my way." he stated, starting to walk toward the gates again.

"Sasuke!" she snapped, reaching out to grab his arm. He couldn't leave! She refused to let him go!

He whirled, snatching his arm out of her reach. "Don't touch me half-breed!" he snapped back, the words leaving his mouth as quickly as he thought of thim, not even bothering to supress his anger as he glared at her.

Sakura faltered at the words, her eyes widening and Sasuke inwardly cringed.

Those were the very words that many had said before she had become accepted in the village. Sasuke didn't know the entire story, but he could tell that it hurt her to hear this coming from him.

But it would get her to let him go.

"Fine," she growled, dropping her gaze to the ground, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "Go for all I care! Let yourself be used by that snake!" her tail lashed as she looked up, her face twisted into a snarl. "But you better not expect much from me if we ever cross paths again."

Her words were chilling and Sasuke could tell that she meant every one. Some part of him flinched as he realized that they would never be on the same terms ever again as they were before, when they were teammates.

However, there was nothing he could do now. Except make his way to Orochimaru.

And power.

Without a word, Sasuke turned and walked out the gates, then leaped into the trees and disappeared from sight. Moments later, a howl rose up and pierced the night air, sad and lonely.

Sakura POV

It was clear that I wouldn't be able to get through to him. Sasuke was hell-bent on getting his power, thinking that he needed to kill Itachi to avenge his clan.

But Itachi had only been protecting him.

Sasuke turned and headed out the gates, not even bothering to utter a single word. He really was leaving Kohana behind. _Urgghh, I failed! Itachi will surely hate me this time! Sasuke's gone…_

For once, my inner didn't comment, and I shifted into my wolf form, pointing my nose to the sky and letting out a long, sad howl.

I shifted back, staring at the ground.

My thoughts drifted to my conversation with Itachi about the Sound nin, Kabuto. I still haven't figured out his motives or even why he was working with the snake, but I had a few ideas. Sound was under control from Orochimaru, so maybe he wanted to kill him? Or maybe Kabuto wanted to get some information from him?

There was so many possibilities that it was hard to decide on a plan.

"Hmmm, so he went after all." a voice startled me out of my thoughts. I whirled, fangs bared. "Calm down, I'm not here to fight."

"Kabuto…?" I paused, half-crouched. What in the world was this bastard doing here? Even if his loyalties didn't lie with Orochimaru, he still_ worked_ for the snake. "What do you want?" I questioned cautiously.

"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to see if the Uchiha boy would really leave." he shrugged, taking a few steps closer in a casual manner. I let out a warning snarl and he stopped, his onyx gaze on me.

I eyed him warily, my mind racing. He was interested to see how much influence Orochimaru had? But why did he show himself? He could have just remained hidden and I would never of even known he was here. He must be after _something_…

It was then that I remembered where I'd seen him before.

"Now way…" I half-gasped, glancing at him sharply. His lips twitched as if he was going to smile. "How old are you?" I hedged, feeling my arms start to shake. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to focus.

"Sixteen." he replied.

I gulped. "How long have you been sixteen, Kabuto?" I asked slowly.

"Heh, I knew you'd figure it out sooner or later." he smirked, shrugging. My ears went back and I snarled, my green eyes flashing in pure hatred. How dare he approach me like this! He held up his hands. "Whoa, hold on! I'm not like my father." he told me hurriedly.

I wasn't sure if I should believe him.

His father had been cruel to us Hanyou. He had lived for over 1,000 years until his assassination. His father may be long dead, but his influence and power still remained in this world. His father…had been my former master or_ Gāidian. _His kind were able to control Hanyou and they could also live as long as we did. Most were kind and formed lasting bonds with us, but there was some, like Kabuto's father, who were cruel and cared not for our well-being.

And Kabuto had the nerve to say he wasn't like his father?

"Coming from you? Sure, that's reassuring." I snorted, rolling my eyes. I didn't drop my guard, though. He _had_ tried to capture me for Orochimaru. I wasn't going to trust him at all.

"I bet you've realized by now that Orochimaru isn't who I give my loyalty to." he said, completely ignoring my comment as he crossed his arms.

"Yes. You're right on that one." I muttered, letting my defensive stance relax just a little. "But why did you aid him in the forest?"

"I had to or he'd know I was going to betray him." he replied smoothly. Wait._ Betray_ him? That snake Orochimaru? Would he even fall for that?

Sure, Kabuto was a good actor and all, – believe me, I know firsthand – but was he good enough not to get caught by Orochimaru who seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to someone turning on him?

"How are you going to manage that?" I asked.

Inwardly, I smacked myself.

**Thought you weren't going to trust him. **Inner chided with a snort of laughter.

_Just because I asked him something, doesn't mean I do! _

**Sure.**

I shut my inner out and ignored her. She was wrong. I didn't trust Kabuto and wasn't going to anytime soon, but a little inside info might help. And you never know, he could turn out to be useful. Unless of course, he decides use his _Gāidian _abilities and subdue me.

Yeah, that wouldn't be good.

"Actually, I haven't gotten that far yet." Kabuto admitted finally, looking thoughtful.

For a moment, everything was silent, then I asked, "Why…did you show yourself tonight when you could have remained hidden?"

"I thought you'd ask that." he smirked. I frowned at him, letting him know that I refused to trust him. He let out a sort of sigh. "We both want something from Orochimaru. You want your teammate back, and I…" he paused, then said, "Well, let's just say it's a family thing."

Whatever it was, I don't think I really cared. What I really wanted to know is what his point was. I growled lowly. "Whatever, keep going." I told him.

He gave an odd half-smile of amusement. The nerve!

"We could work together. Sort of. There are things that I can do that you wouldn't be able to…like actually get into Orochimaru's base." he paused while I snarled at the snake's name, and then went on. "And there are things you can do that I cannot, such as becoming a wolf and going places unnoticed."

I watched him warily, listening to his proposal.

Us, work together? That was a laugh! But I'd been trying to figure out a way to get him to turn on Orochimaru, when here all this time he was planning on betraying that evil snake sannin! I could hardly believe it!

Should I believe it?

"I'm going to make something clear, Kabuto." I began slowly, my words a half-growl. His serious expression didn't falter. "I don't trust you. If you have a plan to take Orochimaru down, then I just might go along with it, depending on what it is."

"Well, that's helpful." he mumbled, almost sarcastically.

I ignored it.

"There is one person you'll have to get to agree to this, though."

Kabuto looked over at me, curious. "Who?" he asked.

"Itachi Uchiha." I told him, swishing my tail as I pulled myself up to my full height. "Sasuke's older brother."

**Alright, here it is! After much thinking and brainstorming, I finally have thibgs going again! If there is anyone out there who has any good ideas about what kind of plan Sakura and kabuto should come up with, please let me know.^^ **

_**Ya'll remember the voting, right?**_

_**Sasuke- 8 votes (Still beatin' his bro! XD)**_

_**Naruto- 3 votes **_

_**Gaara- 2 votes**_

_**Itachi- 5 votes (O.O OMG, wow!)**_

**Aaaannnd! I'm going to add Kabuto! Coz I know there might be some KabuSaku fans out there, so let's see what happens, shall we? Hehe! Oh, and I'll put the dats I update the votes on my profile as soon as I tally up any new votes. :)**

_**Kabuto- 0 votes (so far)**_

**R&R pwease!**


	14. Chase

**Hey everyone! You know…I didn't get any reviews. I was hoping someone might have some good ideas…**

**Disclaimer – I dun own Naruto! *wails***

Normal POV

The meeting spot was a small clearing in the forest outside of Kohana. In the sky, the pale moon shone upon the two ninja as they waited in silence. Moments before, Sakura had set off a flare.

If Itachi saw it, he'd be there.

"What if he doesn't see it?" Kabuto asked casually.

The pink-haired wolf Hanyou gritted her teeth and tried not to look uneasy. "We come back tomorrow night." She replied. Though she knew she didn't have that kind of time. If Kabuto was going to turn on her, she'd be screwed if she didn't make a decision soon.

Another moment of silence passed between them.

Soon, a dark shadow appeared and Itachi stepped into view. "Sakura." He said, his tone holding a surprising – and quite well hidden – note of affection.

No matter how hidden, though, Kabuto heard it. Sakura remained oblivious to any emotions that might lie beneath the Uchiha's cool exterior. Kabuto was shocked at hearing the tone in Itachi's voice, but made no comment on it.

"Hey Itachi," Sakura said with a small smile, her wolf ears pricking toward him.

Seeing Kabuto, he demanded lowly, "Why is he here?"

At his words, Sakura's ears went back and she looked to the ground. "I thought it best." she stated with a shrug. "He said he wanted to betray Orochimaru."

Sharp, cold eyes met Kabuto's calm gaze.

"Alright," Itachi began slowly, crossing his arms. Sakura brightened a little. "Let's hear him out."

Kabuto stood up, a little wary. He sensed _something_ from the Uchiha, but what, he did not know. "Like Sakura here told you, I am going to betray Orochimaru. My reasons are my own. I'd like to keep that myself for now…but I will work with her if she wishes."

Itachi regarded the silver-haired medic for a long while, then looked over at Sakura. "Do you trust him?" he asked.

"No," came her instant reply. Kabuto opened his mouth to say that she could trust him. That she didn't have to worry, but she went on. "But I will work with him. He proves to me that I can trust him, then good for him. If not…" she bared her fangs in a threatening, feral grin. "Then he'd be better of leaving the entire Land of Fire."

Remaining calm, though inside he breathed a sigh of relief, Kabuto said, "Fair enough."

"It's settled then." Itachi said. "Sakura, is that all?"

"Well…" she hesitated, and he remained where he was, waiting patiently. "Sasuke, he…" as soon as his younger brother's name was mention, Itachi knew.

"No." he murmured, the shocked look in his eyes completely out of place.

Kabuto suddenly felt that maybe he shouldn't be here right now, and turned to go. "I'll…be at the gates." he muttered.

He doubted either of them heard him, much less saw him leaving.

"Orochimaru, that snake!" Itachi snarled, slamming his fist into a tree. Sakura had never seen him so angry. He was always so calm and collected. Now, she half-crouched, instinctively making herself less noticeable in case he decided to turn his wrath on her.

An angry Itachi was scary!

As if realizing this, he paused and glanced at her. "I apologize." he let out a sigh and ran a hand through his dark hair. "It's just…" he shrugged, then sighed again. In defeat.

"I don't think even you could have stopped him, he was that determined." Sakura said, her tone quiet as she slowly stood back up, her wolf tail swishing behind her.

Itachi gave a smirk. "I thought you'd say that." he muttered. "You always seem to put what I'm thinking into words." at this, she smiled grimly, looking worried. "Well, I guess I should get going." he sighed again.

Before he could turn to leave, Sakura reached him and put her arms around him in a hug.

Surprised, it took him a moment to lift his own arms and hug her back. "I really am sorry." she whispered. "I'll bring him back, Itachi. I will. And I'll destroy Orochimaru." her last few words held a grow beneath them.

She pulled away, not waiting for him to reply, and vanished into the trees.

Sakura POV

"I thought you'd be there all night." Kabuto smirked as he watched me come up the path to the gates. I didn't say anything, and his brow creased in worry. "Something happen?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing." I told him.

He gave a sort of irritated sigh, as if he was frustrated. "Listen," he began. "You may not believe it, but I'm a pretty good listener, even if I don't have any advice."

I snorted. "Sure."

"Really. You could rant and I won't say a word."

"Power…" I surprised myself when I spoke, my eyes downcast.

"Huh?" Kabuto also seemed taken aback when I spoke. He probably didn't expect me to say anything. Why was I even saying anything? Not like he cared and I didn't need to tell him anyway.

"Why do so many seek power, knowing it will only bring them to their end? Why do they open Pandora's Box when the consequences are so drastic…?"

I didn't expect him to answer, but he did. His words made some sense.

"I guess everyone wants to feel a sense of control in their lives. Sasuke just went about it the wrong way." he said softly.

**He has a point. **Inner stated.

I glared at her and told her to stuff it. Amazingly, she did.

Turning away from Kabuto, I said, "Meet me a week from now. In the same spot we went to when we met Itachi." and then I headed through the gates and back home, not sparing a single glance behind me.

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"Whaaaaaat?" Naruto shouted, leaping up from his seat and flailing his arms. "Sasuke left Kohana? He's gone?"

Tsunade gave a nod. "I'm afraid so." she told him.

Next to him stood Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba and myself. Tsunade had called them in as soon as I explained to her what had happened.

"So why call us?" Shikamaru asked.

With a grim expression, the Hokage replied, "You are to bring him back. Drag him if you must."

Neji grunted and crossed his arms. "Why should we even try to get him to return? He left of his own free will."

"At the influance of Orochimaru." I put in as I tried not to snap, but it was hard.

"You mean that snake guy who attacked the Third?" Kiba exclaimed. "No way!"

"That's him." Tsunade nodded.

With a sigh, Shikamaru asked, "How much of a head start does he have?"

"He left with the Sound Four last night." I stated quietly.

"Sound Four?" Naruto looked at me, puzzled. Oh that's right. I never told anyone about them and the fact that they had come to get Sasuke. I guess now was the time to do so.

"The Sound Four is an elite team that serves Orochimaru. They are very powerful." I explained in a soft voice, not even looking up.

The room was silent for a bit as everyone took this information in. "Sakura, how do you know so much about them…?" Shikamaru asked, quick to realize that there was a sort connection between me and them.

Of course.

I guess there was really no getting out of this without telling them at least some of my past. "You do know that Hanyou can live for a very, _very_ long time?" I questioned, raising a brow.

"That's not all too surprising…" Neji muttered after a few moments of silence.

Kiba sputtered. "What? Wait a second! Sakura's only fifteen, like us!" he yelled loudly.

"I'm _sixteen_, you idiot!" Neji snapped.

I suppressed the sudden urge to giggle at this and said, "Kiba, I'm fifteen in _human_ years."

"What the fuck does that mean?" he growled, irritated.

Kiba was _surely_ an idiot.

Sighing, I told him, "I'm half-human you dolt. I have WOLF DEMON blodd running through my viens. Demons can live for up to 40,000 _years_ okay?" I sighed in aggravation, resisting the urge to yank at my hair. He was such a moron sometimes!

"But with human blood, that lifespan is cut in half, correct?" Neji's words were surprisingly calm.

That's a Hyuuga genius for you.

I nodded at his words. "You know, I honestly never thought about it before." Shikamaru muttered thoughtfully. "This means you know our ancestors; the founders of our clans."

"Not all of them, but yes." I nodded.

Being from the Nara clan, and the genius he was, Shikamaru went on, "Still...that doesn't tell us how you know this Sound 4 the way you do."

I guess she really wasn't into wasting any time. I sighed. I had to tell them. At least a little bit. "Before the Second Hokage came into ruling, the Hanyou were ruled by _Gāidian. _They were many things to us, but overall, they were our Masters." I began telling my story. "But then, the _Gāidian _were starting to become hunted."

**Flashback**

_Racing through the trees, a little pink-haired wolf Hanyou girl stumbled over rocks and roots, her breath coming out in pants. She was running for her life. There wasn't really anything left to run to. Her Master had been killed. All the _Gāidian _had been killed. And all of her kind; the Hanyou…_

"_Lye…Kanna…" she choked out a sob. Her siblings were gone, too. After all this time of prtecting them and everything. it was all just going to end like this? Still, she ran..._

_She skidded to a halt when the bushes rustled and she jumped, eyes wide. "Sakura!" a voice cried in surprise. It was her best friend! He'd gotten away from the Hunters! He was alive! As he burst from the undergrowth, she stumbled to him._

"_Nura!" she sobbed, clinging to him fiercely._

"_Sakura, you made it! What about you brother and sister? Are they…?" he didn't finish his sentence when she started to cry harder at his words. So…Lye and Kanna hadn't lived. "C'mon, Sakura." Nura said, pulling on her arm. "We need to keep moving. Nara is waiting…"_

_Before they could take another step, an arrow was suddenly piercing through Nura's chest. "Nooo!" Sakura screamed, scrambling back as another arrow shot her way. Rage swelled within her, but was quickly being replaced by fear._

_The second arrow missed, and she leaped to her feet, bolting through the trees blindly._

_The hunters were after her, following on light feet, though she could still hear them, no matter how quiet they tried to be. Maybe she should just let them kill her? After all, there was nothing left. Everyone she knew and loved was gone. She stumbled, and a voice slithered from the trees. "My, what do we have here, Ukon?"_

"_Why…it's a Hanyou, Sakon." another voice chimed._

"_Seems like she's in some trouble." a third voice said. This was Kidomaru and Sakura snarled at his words. She didn't like the aura he gave off._

_"Hanyou are strong." a girl's voice tsk'ed through the trees. Tayuya. Sakura came to hate her later on._

"_Shut up. She's only a pup." the big guy, who she later knew as Jirobo told her._

_They were all pretty young. Sakura looked about maybe 12 or 13, but had already reached the age of 100. Still, she was quite a young Hanyou. And they all seemed to notice this._

_"Oh dear, the Hunters are getting closer." Tayuya sighed. "Boys, I don't give a damn if you save this scrawny cub or not," at her words, Sakura snarled and flattened her ears as she glared at the red-head. "But she'll be **your** responsability. Got it?"_

_As if this assured them, the three boys jumped down scooped her up before the hunters could get close. "It's alright." Kidomaru said when she snapped and tried to get loose. "We won't hurt you. Come on…we'll keep you safe." he gave a small smile. The Hunters appeared in the clearing, but the five teens had already gone. The Hunters were none the wiser._

_So Sakura lived in the village that they came from, hiding her ears and tail until the last generation of hunters had died off._

_Then, Orochimaru appeared._

_He took her rescuers and experimented on them, making them live longer and have extra abilities. They wanted to bring Sakura with them, but she refused and fled to Kohana, where she has lived since._

**End Flashback**

"That's all you need to know." I told the listeners in the room. Naruto looked like he was about to burst into tears.

The idiot.

"I had no idea there were _Gāidian _in my family." Shikamaru said softly. Out of everyone else in the room, my past was connected to him the most. Tsunade was silent, letting us talk. "Okay...let's go get Sasuke back. For Sakura." he sent her a smirk and I looked away, fighting a blush.

Stupid Shikamaru.

"Don't forget about me!" Naruto shouted.

I snorted. "Of course not."

"And I'll go." Kiba nodded with a confident grin.

Neji let out a sigh, but was half-smirking. "I guess I'll go, too. Nauto will pester me otherwise."

The said fox boy grinned innocently. "Would not." he stated.

"Woud too." I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "You're such a terrible liar, Naruto."

"Alright! You all know your mission, go on!" Tsunade ordered before we all could start bickering. As we all filed out the door, I just barely caught my teacher's whispered words.

"Be careful...Sakura."


	15. Mistake

**Okaaaaay! Sorry about such a long wait! I'm kind of in the middle of writer's crisis right now. I need ideas! Meh! Oh, and I just realized that if I click the "reviews" button beside my story, I can read them all. O.O**

**Thanks guys for believing in me! Here I go!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

Sakura's POV

We made good time. By noon, we were close enough to sense each member of the Sound Four and Sasuke's chakra signature. I had no idea how this was going to end, but I prayed it would be anything but bad.

Normal POV

Sasuke followed the Sound Four through the silent forest, the only sounds being that of birdsong and their light footfalls. "How much further?" asked Sasuke, a little impatient.

"Not too far, now." Jirobo replied.

As they continued through the trees, Kidomaru paused and glanced back. "Hm? We're being followed." He stated.

Sakon and Ukon gave an odd, dark smile. "Is that so?" they asked, apparently ready for a fight at any moment.

"They're quick." Tayuya muttered.

"I'll handle this." Kidomaru grinned, looking at the others. "Go."

And they went.

As he said this, the group with Naruto, Kiba, Neji and Sakura appeared from through the trees. "Give us Sasuke back you bastards!" Naruto yelled loudly, outraged. He was raring to fight, but this was not to be his, as Neji stepped forward.

"Go on you three. I'll fight him." he said.

"You know Sasuke left of his own free will!" the spider-like man shouted with a smug grin.

Sakura snorted at this. "If it was what he truly wanted, he wouldn't _need_ you four to take him to that retched snake!" she snarled, fangs bared, but in the back of her mind, doubts lingered.

Had Sasuke really decided to go to Orochimaru because he _wanted_ to? Was power really all he wanted in life?

"We used to be such good friends, Sakura." Kidomaru sighed.

"Past tense, Kidomaru." she replied lowly.

He gave a sad smile that only she caught. "Clearly." he said.

Neji glanced at the others. "Get going already. I've got this." he told them. Naruto didn't answer and didn't wait for the others. He took off after the rest of the Sound Four and after Sasuke, his friend and rival.

The others followed him.

"Be careful, Neji." Sakura said before going with the rest of the group. "Don't underestimate that one." and she took off.

S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S

They caught up to the Sound Four again, and this time, Tayuya stayed to fight Shikamaru. **(And so on….sorry, but I forgot Choji fights Jirobo!) **Soon, only Sakura and Naruto were left to chase down the second-to-last Uchiha.

Sakura's POV

When at last we caught up with Sasuke, I decided to hide myself as Naruto confronted him. This was clearly between Naruto and Sasuke, and I wasn't going to interfere.

Naruto deserved that much.

Still, it was extremely hard to just sit back and watch.

Their battle was long and pain-filled. I could see it from both sides. Sasuke was acting tough, but this was hard for him, too, I could tell. He was trying to break his bonds with Naruto, and the fox boy didn't want to let go.

In the end, Sasuke won, but the deep scratch that Naruto had slashed into the other boy's headband made me feel…somewhat proud.

Sasuke was about to leave when I appeared in front of him. He stopped and glared at me, defensive. "I could beat you so easily and drag you back to Kohana right now if I wanted to." I said lowly. He tensed, knowing that I spoke the truth.

I should have dragged his ass back. For me. For Naruto. And…for Itachi.

But I didn't.

Gritting my teeth, I looked at the ground and let a low growl slip between my fangs. "I still can't believe I love you. I wish I didn't." I told him. My words brought a look of surprise to hi features, but he quickly covered it up, as usual.

"Goodbye, Sakura." he said quietly.

For a moment, I didn't move. I could scarcely breathe. I couldn't let him go, and yet…

"I won't cry for you this time." I murmured, stepping off to the side as he passed by me. He must have remembered my mournful howl, for he stopped briefly before continuing on. He was gone for good now, and I had let him go willingly.

A mistake I should not have made.

**Oooo, cliffy! It's a little short, I think, but that's all I've got for now. R&R or the evil step-mother shall arrive! *hands out cookies***


	16. Request

**Okay, I know I haven't updated in like FOREVER, but...I'm baaack! And I hope to stay here for a very long time.**

**Disclaimer- Nope, I don't own Naruto.**

Normal POV

It had been many months since Sasuke's betrayal of his village. Sakura had grown accostomed to his absance, and now, she and Naruto had a new teammate named Sai. He was from ROOT, a speacial force that was kept secret in Kohana. Their first mission had revealed a second mission that Sai had been given. After long fight between Orochimaru and Naruto, they had cleared things up and everything was fine between them.

For Sakura, she still had her meetings with Itachi, and she and Kabuto had been meeting; trying to come up with plans, gathering information and _slowly_ getting to know each other.

"Okay, enough mission talk. I have a question." Kabuto began. He and Sakura were sitting in a small clearing, the almost-full moon shining down on them. Sakura tilted her head, waiting. "Do you know if there are any more Hanyou out there?"

This threw Sakura for a loop. She hadnt expected such a question from Kabuto.

"No..." she began. "I don't know. There could be, but I doubt it. I saw all of them..." she trailed off, staring at the ground as her nimble fingers yanked at the green grass.

"I know," Kabuto said quickly. "You don't have to talk about it."

"Thanks." Sakura felt relived, and for once she felt as if maybe - just maybe, she could trust him.

He seemed to read her thoughts, for he said, "You know that you can trust me, Sakura. I'm not my father."

Deep down, she knew that. Kabuto was not his father. Over these past few months, she had gotten to know him a little bit. He was actually quite a good person, if you didn't think of the fact that he could be power-hungry and extremely cruel to his enemies.

Still..."I don't know that." she said quietly.

He gave a small sigh, but didn't persue the matter. They sat in a reletive silence for a while. It was a comfortable silence at least. As the sun began to rise, they both stood up in sync and Sakura gave a tiny smile. "Guess I'll see you next week?" she asked.

"Hai." he nodded.

They gazed at each other a moment longer, then Kabuto turned and raced away into the trees.

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"C'mon Sai, don't give up yet!" Naruto yelled loudly as he and the painter ran through the trees after a group of rouge ninja that were very good at evading detection and just as good at escaping.

Sai growled. "I'm NOT, you dolt!"

With an annoyed look, Sakura yelled at the both of them, "Shut up and focus on the mission!"

That was all it took to get the two of them moving. They raced after the group of four, slowly gaining on them bit by bit. As they closed in, Naruto launched himself forward onto the first rouge; a blond with red eyes. "Raaaaaa! Gotacha!" Naruto roared as he tackled the guy out of the trees. They went down fighting.

The other three turned to face Sakura ad Sai, expression masked, their eyes dark. "You really think you'd get away?" Sakura sneered, baring her fangs in a cold grin.

"We sure as hell tried!" the loud-mouth of the group snorted, brandishig a kunai and settling into a defensive stance.

As she and Sai attacked the three, Naruto came back up, wild-eyed and ready to take on all of the rouges. One of them got behind Naruto and struck, sending the blond flying. That didn't stop him. He was back up and had taken the rouge down before he knew what had hit him.

Sakura and Sai continued to struggle with the last two. The pinkette threw a roundhouse. It struck her opponent in the neck and a loud snap echoed through the trees. "Nice one." Sai smirked. She smirked back. The painter had finsihed off his opponent just as she had. The team re-grouped, bruised and scratched up, but otherwise okay.

"So we take this one in for intterogation, right?" Naruto questioned, holding up an unconcious rouge by the front of his shirt.

"Yep." Sakura nodded at him.

So they all headed back, mission accomplished. As they returned to the village, Sai noticed that Sakura was acting a little...off. He wondered if she was okay? "Is something wrong, Sakura-san?" he asked her.

"No, I'm fine. Arigato." she replied with a cheery, fake smile.

He didn't believe her. "Don't pretend you're alright. That smile is fake." he told her. She gave him a flat look. He ws so blunt! It was unnerving sometimes!

"I'm really okay, Sai. Don't worry." she assured him. "I just have a lot on my mind." this seemed to work somewhat. He gave her a somehwhat skeptic look, but left the matter alone. What was up with her? To have that kind of look...that something that she had on her mind must be really important.

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Sakura's POV

There was a new Hokage.

Her name was Tsunade and she was very powerful. She was also a medic - nin.

This woman was a gambler and a drinker, she was often loud, but had a good head on her shoulders. She could make me strong.

I wanted to be strong. Stronger. Strong enough to maybe defeat Orochimaru. I knew that at the level I was at now, he'd kill me for sure. Either that or place that damned curse mark on me. I didn't want that.

And I'd be damned if I'd ever let it happen.

Once I'd secured an audiance with the Hokage, I was beginning to feel a little nervous, but it wasn't going to stop me. I knocked on the large doors. "Come in." came the voice of the new leader. I did so.

"Hokage-sama," I began, keeping my eyes downcast. "I have a request of you."

This was a very bold thing for me to do, so her surprised look and response was what I expected.

"Oh?" she put her sake bottle down and looked at me with lidded eyes, analyzing me; the Hanyou of Kohana. What did she see when she looked at me, I wondered? Did she look down on me like the rest of the village used to? Like some of them still did?

I gathered my courage. It was now or never. With a bow, I said, "Hai. I wish to becoe your apprentice. Please! Train me!"


	17. Control

**Okay, time for the 2 year time skip! From here on out, the story will be entirely different from the anime. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- Naruto is not mine.**

Normal POV

Anger.

It never ceased to excite him.

Anger made him strong. It colored the world red and helped him to defeat all his enemies effortlessly. As long as he controlled it, anger was his friend. The only opponent he still had yet to defeat was Orochimaru. His own teacher. "Oh, come Sasuke. You can do better than that." the snake taunted from across the room. They were training, and Sasuke seemed to be distracted.

"Shut up." the boy hissed, rushing at Orochimaru, who merely stepped aside and knocked him into the wall.

As Sasuke struggled into a sitting position, he said, "Why something must be on your mind."

"It's nothing." Sasuke spat.

"Do tell me what it is."

For a moment, Sasuke was silent as he glared at the wall. Why was Orochimaru suddenly wanting to know what he was thinking? Like he was really going to tell him that he'd been dreaming of a white wolf? One that reminded him of Sakura..."Nevermind. It's nothing." he stood up and brandished his Katana before him. "Forget about it."

"As you wish," Orochimaru smirked, swinging his own sword. "Dear Sasuke."

Sakura POV

"A mission to Suna?!" Naruto, Sai and Sakura stood before the Hokage, eyes wide. What a surprising turn of events! Suna and Kohana weren't exactly on good terms at the moment, so this was a shock.

"I thought Suna didn't trust us." Sakura said thoughtfully.

Tsunade gave a nod. "Correct. However, they are in need of medics, and I am sending you, Sakura, to help train them. Naruto and Sai will go with you for survalliance." she spoke directly to the pinkette.

"You mean to be spies?" she asked flatly.

"Really?" Naruto began bouncing around. "_Awesome_!"

Knocking him on the head, Sakura growled at him to shut up, which - of course - he did. "I don't think Naruto would make a good spy." she said to Tsunade.

"You can keep him in check." the busty blond grinned slyly.

"Of...course."

At that, the three left for Suna without Yamato, who was busy with troops somewhere else.

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Sakura POV

It was hot enough to fry an egg on stone! Naruto was the first to complain. "Arrrrgggh! It's so hoooot!" he moaned, trudging along behind me and Sai.

"Quit your whining you baka!" I growled, flattening my ears. He was starting to get on my nerves. It wasn't hot just for him...

We still had a ways to go until we reached Suna, and the sun was beginning to set. We decided to stop for the night. Sai started the fire and we all sat around it for a while before Naruto began complining that he was hungry. "We're out of food..." I sighed as I checked the bags.

"Aw, maaaan! But I'm hungry!" he whined loudly. "Sakura, you're a wolf. Go hunt us something!"

"What? No!" I snarled.

"Why not?" Sai cut in.

I stilled. There was no way I was answering that. Really...

"I just can't." I shrugged, feigning indifference. I sat down by the fire and curled my tail up and over my knees. Sai and Naruto exchanged a look. I ignored them. There was no way I was hunting. I'd heard what happened to the Hanyou that did so. They had to let their wolf take over, let the instincts control them.

Some Hanyou lost themselves to it.

"Pleeeease." Naruto began to beg.

I growled. "No!" I snapped, whirling on him. He jumped, surprised at my reaction. I forced myself to calm down. "No. If I hunt, I could...lose myself to the wolf. I'm not doing that." I explained.

For a moment, he was quiet. I was sure that he wasn't going to say anything else, but I was wrong. "Well, I think you'd be fine." he muttered.

"I'm not hunting, Naruto. End of story."

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Normal POV

There was no way around it. The sandstorm had lasted for two days, and the team was famished. They still had another entire day until they reached Suna after the storm was over, and the night was long.

Sakura would have to hunt.

The winds had died down some, and so she shifted into her wolf form and slunk out into the darkness. Under the moon, her snowy fur shimmered. "Find something good!" Naruto called as he and Sai followed a distance away like she'd ordered them to.

With a snort, she gave a short howl, and took off.

The light of the moon made her extremely visable in the night, but Sakura was smart. If she stayed out of the shadows, her fur would blend in with the glare on the dunes. She put her nose to the ground. The scents of many rodents, reptiles and birds filled her nose. But she was looking for something bigger...something like...a braying sound reached her ears. Ah, a mule deer! Perfect.

Her wolf side trembled in anticipation of the hunt, adrenaline already rushing through her viens. She tracked the scent until she reached a small valley. The deer had situated themselves so that any smells of danger would reach them from above. Narrowing her emerald eyes, the white wolf sunk to her belly and peered down at them.

She would have to be patient.

The deer were all on alert.

Slowly, her wolf began to take over, instincts kicking in. She waited for what seemed like only a few minutes before a deer strayed from the herd. Her patience was well paid.

Streaking down the side of the dune, the wolf was upon the animal before it even knew it was being stalked. It gave a cry of distress that sent the rest of the herd fleeing through the sand, but for the lone deer, it was too late. Sakura finished it off quickly. By now, her wolf side had completly taken over. Not that she knew this. The girl was asleep in her mind.

This was no longer Sakura.

"Whohooo! Nice catch, Sakura-chan!" Naruto came racing up, unaware of the fact that he was not speaking to his teammate, but the wolf. With a flash of teeth, she crouched before the fallen deer and snarled, ears back, eyes flashing. Naruto stopped. "Huh? Sakura?" he asked.

Sai came up and stood beside him. "Have you forgotten that Sakura told us this might happen?" he questioned the blond.

"What?"

"Idiot." Sai muttered. "That isn't Sakura. Her wolf is in conrtol."

Naruto blinked. "Ohhhhhh! Okay! I remember now!" he nodded. He turned to the white wolf. How were they going to get Sakura back? After much thought, he and Sai tried to talk Sakura back into control. When that failed, they tried to get closer to her. Nope. An hour or so later and they'd chased the white wolf all around with no luck.

"You really think you can catch a wild wolf?!" someone yelled, laughter filling the air.

Sai and Naruto whirled to see the same guy with weird face paint from the chunnin exams. "Well what do you know. It's Kunkuro!" Naruto grumbled. "That's not a wild wolf."

"Really? What else could it be?" the boy asked with a seer.

"Sakura." another voice said. Garra had appeared in a whirl of sand, arms crossed as usual, his expression nuetral. "That is Sakura, the Hanyou. Correct?"

Sai nodded. "Hai, it is her. She went to hunt and the wolf took her over. We're having some trouble getting her to return to her senses."

As he spoke, a howl filled the air. Sakura stood atop a dune, her nose pointed to the sky. Naruto's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. "Wow." he breathed. Kunkuro laughed at him. "Shut up! It's not funny!" he shouted.

"Is too!" he laughed.

"Both of you shut up." Gaara said lowly. "I'll bring her back." he said to Sai and Naruto.

"Okay..." they replied doubtfully. If they couldn't get Sakura back - and they were her teammates - how could Gaara do so?

**DUN DUN DUN Cliffy! Oooo, what's going to happen? Will Gaara succeed? Or will he fail? :D Find out next time! Please R&R!**


	18. Sand

**Okay, so I've been away for a while. I'm sorry! **

**Disclaimer – Naruto is not mine.**

Normal POV

It took Gaara a while to track Sakura down.

She was hidden in the glare of a sand dune, where the moon gleamed off of the sand and helped her to blend into the light. "Sakura…" he tried stepping closer to her, but when she stiffened and raised her head, he stopped.

**Don't move so fast, moron.** Shukaku growled at him in annoyance.

Gaara snorted and ignored his inner demon.

He stepped slowly forward, inching closer to the white wolf. When he was nearly a foot away, he knelt down and held out a hand. "Sakura, it's me. Gaara." He said.

Her emerald orbs flashed. Sakura still had some control. She lowered her head and her eyes seemed to come alive. _"Gaara…?" _she asked in thought-speak, her voice filling his mind. He smirked as she stepped right up to him, and his fingers tangled in the soft fur at her neck.

"Who else?" he asked her.

"_What are you doing here?"_

"Looking for you." he gave a half-grin. "And I found you."

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"Naruto, you're an idiot." Sai sent a fake smile to the blond, who was 'rocking out' to some loud music.

From somewhere in the apartment – oh so generously given to them by the Kaekage – Sakura yelled, "Turn that damn racket down!" but she was ignored.

Sai blinked. "Naurto, you might want to…"

But it was too late.

"NARUTO!" Sakura came stalking into the room, green eyes afire. "TURN IT OFF **NOW**!"

The room went silent and all Sai could see was Naruto sitting on the couch meekly with the pink-haired young woman glaring over him. "Thank. You." she said tightly. "Now…keep it down out here. I'm trying to study." she turned and headed back down the hall.

Naruto stood up and reached out to press the power button the radio. "I MEAN it, baka." came Sakura's voice.

Sai and Naruto exchanged a look.

"Why don't we go grab some ramen?" the blond asked.

Sai nodded. "Sounds like a good idea." he replied. And they both skedaddled out the door.

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Sakura POV

I can't believe how idiotic Naruto can be sometimes.

Scratch that.

It's believable.

Suna was having some sort of trouble with an unknown virus. The symptoms included fever, headache, dizziness, confusion and oftentimes, fainting. It was contagious and could be transmitted through the air. They needed a cure. I needed to find one.

The phone rang.

With a sigh, I stood up and answered it. "Moshi moshi?"

"_Sakura Haruno?" _came a male voice.

"This is she." I said. What was this? Sounded like a call from the Kazekage.

"_Please report to the Kazekage's office immediately. It is urgent."_

"Right away."

I hung up and grabbed my medic belt before walking out the door. The Kazekage tower wasn't too far of a walk. I made it there in less than a minute and made my way inside. "Haruno-san?" the lady at the desk asked. I nodded. "Go right on in."

I did as she said. The Kazekage looked up from his paperwork as I entered. "Ah, Haruno-san. Glad you made it." he said.

"Yes. You needed to speak with me?" I asked.

"Indeed. I have a team going on a mission to round up a few rouges. They need a medic."

"And my teammates?"

"They will remain here. I'm sure they'll be fine for a few days without you. You can return to your research when you get back."

I bowed. "Hai." I said quickly. "I understand." I should never of asked anything to begin with. He was lenient enough to answer. When I straightened, the double doors swung open and two sand nin came in.

"Himimori-san, Yayuya-san, there you are." the Kazekage smiled politely.

"Ohayo, Kazekage-sama." they bowed.

"This is Sakura Haruno. She will be your medic."

They turned to look at me. I saw their expressions when they noticed my wolf ears and tail and frowned, fangs showing. "A Hanyou?" the blue-haired one asked. "You're supposed to be a legend."

"Sorry to disappoint you." I growled.

He eyebrows shot up. "Wait, no no! That's not what I meant." he put a hand to the back of his head sheepishly while his partner snorted and rolled his eyes.

"What my idiot partner means is that he's just surprised. You should see him in the library; all sorts of books on myth scattered around him." he gave a chuckle and then stepped forward, holding out a hand. "I'm Ren Himimori. Nice to meet you, Sakura-san."

I blinked, surprised. "Oh?" I glanced at the other guy before taking Ren's hand. "Yes, nice to meet you too. Please, call me Sakura."

"And I'm Suzuki Yayuya." the other smiled.

I couldn't help but smile back. He sort of reminded me of Naruto, just more calm. "So when do we start this mission?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. The two of them grinned.

"Now." they said together. "We just need to find our last teammate."

"Other teammate?"

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Normal POV

The other teammate that Suzuki and Ren had spoken of was a prick in Sakura's opinion. "Listen here, you." she snarled, poking him in the chest hard with on clawed finger. "Don't piss me off. You won't like it." his eyes were trained on my lashing tail and I growled, annoyed. "My tail in none of your concern!"

Ren and Suzuki started laughing and the moody boy pulled away with a scowl. "Kennan, your expression was priceless!" Suzuki laughed. He and Ren were laughing so hard, they had to lean on each other.

"Shut the fuck up!" Kennan thundered and the two of them did as he said. I looked on, slightly amused. It seemed Kennan was the unspoken leader of this group, but it was Ren and Suzuki who held it together.

"I think Kennan might have a crush on our Hanyou friend." I heard Ren whisper.

"What was that, Ren?" I demanded, raising a brow. His face reddened and he shook his head. I smirked and tapped one white wolf ear. He paled. Apparently, he'd forgotten about a Hanyou's hearing.

After we'd all gotten acquainted, we headed for the gates and began our mission.

**That's all for now! R&R please!**


	19. Sand II

**I know I've been away for a very long time, and I am truly sorry about that.I moved and all kinds of other stuff, so I couldn't get online at all. HOWEVER ~ Now that I'm moved and all settled in, I can get back to my writing! So, onward with the story!**

**Note: _I've introduced some OC's. Yes, I know it seems like practically everyone is interested in Sakura, but trust me, these OC characters have a purpose! You'll have to read to find out! :D_**

* * *

><p><strong>Recap:<strong> "I think Kennan might have a crush on our Hanyou friend." I heard Ren whisper.

"What was that, Ren?" I demanded, raising a brow. His face reddened and he shook his head. I smirked and tapped one white wolf ear. He paled. Apparently, he'd forgotten about a Hanyou's hearing.

After we'd all gotten acquainted, we headed for the gates and began our mission.

Normal POV

"Touch me there again and see what happens!" came the quiet, yet venomous hiss from the pink-haired Hanyou.

Kennan balked. "I didn't mean to, jeeze!" he shot back just as quietly.

He, Sakura and his two teammates were all scrunched together in a concealed area, waiting for the rouges that they were after to show themselves. It was close quarters, and Sakura just _knew_ Kennan wasn't keeping his hands to himself on purpose.

"I don't believe you." she whispered, eyes trained ahead as they waited. He glanced over with a painted-on look of innocence.

"Why not?" he demanded before returning his gaze forward.

"Because I don't."

"_Hey!_ That's not-!"

"Shhh!" Suzuki suddenly hissed, elbowing Kennan sharply. The red-head growled, but quieted, following his teammates gaze. "There they are."

The two rouge ninja didn't seem like all that much at first glance, but the Kazekage had warned them, and the stifling aura from the smaller one was enough to tell them that these ninja were not to be underestimated. "Kimino," the taller ninja suddenly paused, putting an arm up in front of his partner to stop him. "You sense that?"

So much for a surprise attack.

"Go!" Ren shouted, lunging forward at the two ninja with lightning speed. Suzuki and Kennan followed, and Sakura took to the trees, on guard in case she was attacked. As the team's medic, she couldn't afford to go into battle.

The smaller ninja proved to be what they expected.

Deadly.

While Kennan and Ren double-teamed him, Suzuki went after the taller of the two. Despite being so large, the taller ninja was surprisingly fast, and escaped when he realized he and the smaller ninja could not win. Kimino stayed behind, determined to defeat his adversaries. She watched as the battle progressed, Kimino using a type of shadow technique that rivaled the Nara clan. Suzuki was the first to make a wrong move. It too late to correct his slight misstep, and Kimino lunged for him. They went down in a tangle of kicks and punches. Suzuki wrenched himself away as Ren and Kennan launched themselves at the rouge ninja, leaping back up and re-joining the fight.

Realizing he was outnumbered – and clearly outclassed, despite such power he held – the rouge turned to run, only to spot Sakura high in the trees. With a twisted grin, he went after her.

"_This damnable pink hair!" _she mentally yelled as she dodged Kimino's grasping, outstretched hand.

He whirled, snagging her by the wrist and yanking her back against him, drawing a kunai to rest against her throat. "Come any closer and she dies!" Kimino shouted, grinning widely. It was apparent he believed he had won.

"Let go of me…" Sakura began, thrusting one arm up between where his arm was wrapped around her and knocking it away, giving her room to twist around, a snarl on her lips. "You lowlife!" she reared her arm back and brought her fist down on his face with a chakra-infused punch. Stunned, he stumbled back and fell from the tree.

Suzuki, Ren and Kennan were upon him in a flash and had him secured before he knew what had happened.

"Seems she can do more than just be a medic." Kennan stated as he hauled Kimino to his feet. Sakura flicked her tail and glanced at him, but chose not to say anything, instead focusing on checking over Suzuki and Ren for injuries.

"Nah, I'm fine. Really." Ren was saying, trying to pull away. She relented, although reluctantly.

Turning to Suzuki, she asked, "Everything good? No broken bones? Cuts or scrapes?"

"Just a small cut, but I'll be fine." he replied.

Spotting the wound instantly, she grabbed him by the arm to keep him from moving. "Not if it continues to bleed. Hold still."

While all of this was going on, Kennan had shaken Kimino awake and gotten him to stand and wait for them silently. "We ready?" the team leader questioned as Sakura finished her inspection.

"No," she responded, walking toward him. "You haven't been-"

He cut her off. "I'll be alright. We need to move. There's a storm coming." he waved a hand dismissively and pointed to the East. Indeed, a storm was on its way. This seemed to convince Sakura. With a frown, she nodded. "Let's go." and they all set off for home, captured rouge ninja in tow.

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Sakura's POV

There was something wrong.

Kennan's movements weren't the same. He was slower, more careful. Despite him telling me that he was alright, I didn't believe him. He had been injured and was hiding it. I couldn't just ignore it any more. "Kennan, stop." I finally growled out.

He did and looked back questioningly. "What? We don't have time to-"

"You're injured." I cut him off, knowing it was true as the wind shifted and my nose caught the scent of blood. How could he be so stupid? Didn't he know that traveling with an injury like that was the worst possible thing he could do? What if we ran into another enemy? I moved toward him.

"I'm _fine." _he shot back, turning away and moving to continue on. Ren and Suzuki exchanged a look as I growled and grabbed Kennan by the shoulder, turning him to face me. The smell of blood invaded my senses as my eyes found the gash adorning his side. Blood stained his shirt.

"You're NOT fine. Kennan, what were you thinking hiding this from the team's medic?!" I snarled, my hands lighting up with my healing chakra as I placed them over the wound. He didn't resist, and as I healed him, I continued to talk. "Screw your precious pride. If you're injured, you're supposed to _tell your medic._ It's why there's a medic on a team in the _first_ place! Geeze!" I jerked away at that, the gash now healed, not a trace of the wound left behind. "Men can be such idiots sometimes! No offence." I looked toward Ren and Suzuki.

The blue-haired boy raised his hands as if in surrender and the other mimicked his movements, smiling as he spoke. "None taken."

I heard Kennan move behind me and glanced back. "I just didn't want to worry anyone." he grouched, hauling Kimino along again as he began to walk. "Let's get back before this storm hits."

**A short chapter, I know, but the next one will be longer. Promise! ;) **


	20. Gāiden

**Here comes the next chapter! Thank you to all who have recently started following this story, it's you guys who keep me going! ^-^**

**Disclaimer – Naruto is not mine, but I do own Suzuki, Ren and Keenan! :D**

Normal POV

"This is all your fault!"

"MY fault? How is it my fault you arrogant-!"

"If you hadn't stopped to heal me!"

"Well if you hadn't argued with me in the first place!"

Silence.

Kennan looked at her, opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again and looked away. She was right. Though he didn't want to admit it. If he hadn't disagreed so adamantly, she could have healed him and they would be back in Suna by now. But he'd dragged on the argument, hid that he was injured, and she had to stop them, where they quarreled some more before she finally got to heal him.

Still. "Well it wasn't my fault."

Sakura threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "Does it have to BE someone's fault?!" she exclaimed. This was getting ridiculous! "So we got caught in the storm. Big deal! When it passes, we'll head back."

The group had situated themselves under a thick cluster or trees, the overhang of a broken boulder sheltering them from the wind. Kimino had remained silent the entire trip, but now, he spoke, his voice rasping like a swarm of bees.

"Grudo will not let you take me back to your village."

Four pairs of eyes turned on the short ninja. "What are you talking about?" Suzuki demanded lowly. This only made Kimino chuckle.

"Guys." Sakura had moved to look up at the sky. "I don't think this storm is natural." as she spoke, a strong gust of wind began to blow past. It howled eerily. Kimino's chuckle grew darker. "Suzuki!" Ren shouted and Sakura whirled to see that the blonde had fallen, writhing on the ground in pain. A dark voice spoke up from right behind Sakura. "Hehe, how convenient. This one's alignment is wind."

Sakura turned back around to meet the cruel gaze of Kimino's partner, Grudo.

"I had thought it odd…" he continued, taking a step forward and forcing Sakura to step back. "That my partner was taken down so easily. No mere…_human_, ninja or not could accomplish this. So that got me thinking." his sharp eyes landed on Suzuki, who remained curled up on the ground. "What if you're not all human? You…" he focused on Sakura. "You're a Hanyou. Your teammates…they appear human, but they're not." a grin twisted his features at the shocked looks that crossed both Ren's and Keenan's faces; the look of astonishment in Sakura's own eyes. "Yes, you can't hide it from me anymore. I know."

"He's a Gāiden!" Suzuki barked and Grudo's gaze hardened as he looked at the blonde, who gave a shout of pain.

"Leave him ALONE!" Ren screeched, lunging at the rouge ninja. His appearance had changed. Now, he sported long, wicked looking talons, a tail with a feathered end, and his hair had become striped and spiky. Grudo leaped back, releasing whatever hold he had on Suzuki as he fended off Ren's attacks. Kimino laughed manically, despite the fact that his chakra was cut off by shackles on his wrists, thus making him incapable of fighting.

Sakura turned on Keenan. _**"You hid this from me?!" **_she practically screamed, glowering at the red-head in fury.

"Not now, Sakura." he snapped, helping Suzuki up. "You and Suzuki need to get out of here. You're wind, too. Yeah?" his gaze met hers and she went still at the thought. She was wind. And if Suzuki was susceptible to Grudo's Gāiden powers because he was wind that meant she would be, as well.

"I am…" she muttered dazedly. Keenan nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder, pushing her toward Suzuki. "Get out of here." he said. "Warn the Kazekage and have him send more shinobi. Now go." In the next moment, he had joined Ren in his attack on Grudo. As Suzuki grasped Sakura's hand, pulling her behind him, Kimino was still laughing hysterically.

Even when they had reached the desert miles away, the chilling sound continued to ring in Sakura's ears.

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Sakura's POV

It was astounding. I still couldn't wrap my mind around the concept. How could I have missed it? _How? _Even with them hiding their appearances, I still should have _known_. They were like me. They were the same.

They were Hanyou.

In the world today, they were misfits. Outcasts. Looked down upon by most humans. The fact that there were still Gāiden around was also amazing. The hunters must have missed quite a few bloodlines of both Gāiden and Hanyou for there to be even a few left.

Suzuki and I had finally made it back to Suna, where we quickly told the Kazekage all that had happened. He sent out an elite team of his best shinobi to assist Ren and Keenan and then had us sent to the lobby. Now, all we could do was wait. Even if we wanted to go with the team to help them, the Kazekage wouldn't allow us to. I was still angry. Even more now, after discovering that the even the Kazekage had known what Keenan, Ren and Suzuki were. Why wasn't I told? Why had it been hidden from me? I had a right to know. I was one of them!

"Sakura-san…" A glare was the response Suzuki got from me, and he sighed. "Look, I didn't want to keep it from you." he said, sandy colored wolf ears drooping atop his hair. Like me, he was a wolf Hanyou.

I scowled. "They why did you?" I demanded with a hiss.

"It was orders. We weren't supposed to tell you. The Kazekage wanted to be sure you weren't a foe." he replied quickly, his gaze apologetic. I eyed him skeptically for a few moments. It sort of made sense. Even though I was a Hanyou, I wasn't from this village. "It's the truth," Suzuki went on. "Really."

"Okay, I believe you." I sighed, rubbing a hand over my forehead. I was starting to get a headache. A moment of silence passed between us. Now that my anger had passed, I was elated. Excited. I wasn't alone anymore. There were others like me.

But there were still power-hungry Gāiden out there, too.

"I hope Ren and Keenan are alright." I finally spoke up quietly. Suzuki nodded in agreement, looking worried. He was probably freaking out inside. Those two were his teammates.

The lobby door burst open suddenly. "Kazekage-sama!" a wiry-looking ninja raced past the receptionist, who blinked, startled, but made no move to stop the kid as he barreled into the Kazekage's office. I looked at Suzuki, who stood and moved closer to the thick, oak doors. I followed, straining my ears to try and hear what was being said on the other side of the door, but I couldn't hear a thing.

I knew now why the doors were so thick. With Hanyou working for him, the Kazekage must have had the doors created to keep eavesdroppers from hearing anything they weren't supposed to. When the young ninja finally exited the office, Suzuki and I peeked in, questions in our eyes. The Kazekage saw us and beckoned us inside with a tired sigh. "Grudo," he began slowly. "Has escaped. Ren was badly injured, so half of the team I sent out used a teleportation scroll to get him to the hospital. Hurano-san, please go there. Your medical skills will be needed."

I didn't hesitate a moment, darting out the door without thinking. Suzuki was right behind me. By the time we reached the hospital, the current medics were already working on Ren, but seemed to be having some trouble. He had lost a lot of blood, and was already fading. "Move!" I ordered one of the nurses. She scurried out of the way and I placed my hands over Ren's chest, pouring chakra into him. "You," I jerked my chin in the direction of one of the nurses and she stopped, looking at me questioningly. "He's going to need a blood transfusion. He's lost too much." the nurse nodded and darted off.

Behind me, I could hear Suzuki muttering to himself. "C'mon Ren. You've been through worse. You can get through this." his voice trembled and I could tell he was trying not to cry.

"_Ren.."_ I thought, frowning in concentration as I continued to pour healing chakra through him until he was stabilized. _"Don't you die now. Not after I just found out what you guys are…like me."_ I blinked back the feeling of tears. _"Your friends need you."_

S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S

Normal POV

What had started out as a simple medical mission in Suna had turned into so much more.

Sai and Naruto was shocked that Sakura wasn't the only Hanyou. They had never encountered another like her, so they had never thought that there could be others. They soon learned that Ren was a gryphon – he had made a full recovery, too. And Keenan was a red wolf. Suzuki and Naruto got along great, as did Sai and Ren. Keenan didn't seem to get along with either of them, which only made Sakura think he was like Sasuke even more. "You're so anti-social." she teased him, smiling in amusement as he turned away from a pouting Naruto who had tried to get Keenan to join the conversation.

"Oh yeah?" Keenan crossed his arms as he looked at the pink-haired wolf girl, his own wolf ears flicking back against his fire-red hair. She grinned, amused that is was so easy to annoy him and get under his skin.

"Yep."

"And that's a problem?"

"Maybe for you."

He frowned. "Why would it be a problem for me?"

"Because I might steal your more social teammates from you. They'd like Kohana." she grinned, moving to where Ren and Suzuki were chatting with Sai and Naruto. She tossed her arms over their shoulders and smiled. "Wouldn't you like to visit Kohana guys?" she asked.

"That sounds fun." Suzuki said thoughtfully. Ren nodded in agreement.

Sakura shot a smirk over her shoulder at Keenan before continuing. "I can show you two all around Kohana and Naruto knows the _best_ ramen shop in the whole village."

Keenan's frown deepened. "Hey, what about me?" he demanded, and Sakura nearly giggled at hi reaction. He sounded like he was pouting. "Oh, I duuuunooo," she turned around, pretending to think about it. "You're just not that social, so it's probably something you wouldn't want to do."

Keenan rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll 'socialize' a bit more, but you ain't leaving me behind."

"Hehe, great!" Sakura clapped her hands while Naruto guffawed in the background. Just like Sakura to trick someone like that. Sai looked at Naruto curiously. He didn't see what was so funny. The blonde laughed and leaned over to whisper to the ink-user, who blinked and nodded when he finally understood.

He made a mental note to never give Sakura a reason to trick him into something.

S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S

Normal POV

"Don't forget! We'll come and visit one day!" Suzuki yelled out across the sand as he, Ren and Keenan stood at the gates of Suna, watching their newfound friends head off into the desert. The three turned and waved before continuing on. The epidemic that had swept over the village had been stopped by the pink-haired medic, and the Kazekage sent his warmest thanks with her back to Kohana, with the promise that from now on, Suna and Kohana were allies.

Sakura smiled as they walked. Tsunade would be thrilled at this news.

"Hey, Sakura?" Sai dropped back, leaving Naruto to walk ahead of them. "I've been meaning to ask. When you explained what had happened on your mission with those Suna Hanyou, you mentioned…Gāiden? What exactly is that?" an amused smile tugged at Sakura's lips. Of course. The ever curious Sai would be the one to ask such a question.

With her emerald gaze on the sky, she replied, "Many years ago, Hanyou served under those who had a special sway over them. The Gāiden could assert their power over Hanyou who had the same chakra nature as them. They could stop a Hanyou in their tracks, force them to listen to them or fall asleep, they could even cause pain." a frown etched her features as she remembered Suzuki, but she quickly chased that thought away.

"I see." Sai nodded in understanding. "Did you have a Gāiden before?"

She looked over at him, a bit surprised at the question. She never expected Sai, of all people, to ask something personal. "I did." she finally told him in a quiet voice. "A long time ago."

**So that's it for this chapter! If you haven't disowned me for my horribly slow posting, I hope you stick around for the next one! You'll get to see a little more of what Orochimaru is up to! :3 **


	21. Revealed

**You guys wanna know what Orochimaru is up to? Sure ya do! And now, it's time to find out!**

**Disclaimer** – I don't own Naruto at all. So sad.

Normal POV

This wasn't working.

He very well couldn't hide everything from that snake forever. Orochimaru was getting suspicious. Especially when his training faltered. Sasuke sighed as he stared up at the ceiling, one arm tossed over his forehead as he lay on his bed silently. The ceiling was made of dirt and he could see a few roots from trees sticking through. He still had those dreams of the white wolf. A white wolf that just stood in front of him, and no matter how he may try, he couldn't move an inch. It couldn't be Sakura, could it? There was just no way. Yet, those eyes that seemed to mock him so…they were green; the color of emeralds.

"Dammit." he muttered to himself in the stillness, onyx gaze glaring up at the ceiling made of dirt. He didn't like that ceiling. Orochimaru really liked being underground. Sasuke did not. This environment wasn't helping at all. Grumbling to himself, he rolled over onto his side and shut his eyes to sleep.

S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S

Indeed, Sasuke could not hide everything from Orochimaru. The Sannin knew that the boy was having trouble sleeping. Was it dreams perhaps? Nightmares? He could find out. There were so many ways to tap into the dream world of another (use your imagination X3). And so he did. What Orochimaru found made him grin darkly from ear to ear.

Maybe Sakura would be his after all.

That wolf Hanyou had escaped his grasp for too many years now. He was far from giving up, but he was frustrated that whenever he came _so close_ to capturing her, she escaped. Now, he saw a way to get to the wolf girl. Through Sasuke. This was his idea. Smiling to himself, the snake Sannin walked along his underground halls. He came to a room with a metal door and, producing a small key he unlocked the door and stepped inside. White, fluorescent light lit up the inside of the room, giving it the cold feel of a laboratory – which in fact, that is exactly what the room was. "Good morning, my pets." Orochimaru hissed in a delighted manner as he strode past the rows of cells. Inside were several Hanyou. One of them growled at the word 'pets', his claws reaching for the snake through the bars of the cage. Orochimaru chuckled and stepped back, out of reach. A cold smile curled at his lips, revealing his fangs. "So…you would like to be first for the experiments today?"

This Hanyou right behind the bars was the newest addition to the few already in the cells. It was clear that, unlike the others, he had no idea what could be in store for him. _"In any case, he will soon know…"_ Orochimaru thought darkly, his cruel, twisted smile making the once angry Hanyou shrink back in uncertainty.

"Poor guy. To be picked first." one of the other Hanyou whispered to his cell mate. Orochimaru's snake-like eyes turned on the two, and they silenced immediately.

Normally, a punishment was in order, but the snake was more focused on his newest prey. "Kabuto!" he ordered the silver-haired ninja in. He came obediently, looking a bit distracted, but Orochimaru shrugged that off. Kabuto was one of his most loyal subjects. Any distractions would of course be because he was thinking of one experiment or another.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked politely as he came in.

"Get this Hanyou here ready for the first experiment of the day." the snake told him, and Kabuto nodded. "Afterwards, send Ursen in here. I'm in need of her assistance." For a moment, Kabuto was a bit surprised. Ursen? Orochimaru never needed her unless he wanted something done quickly. Something very dangerous. However, the medic decided it wasn't his business and bowed before leaving to get the keys to the rows of cells in the lab.

"Why do you do this?" the Hanyou demanded. "You're one of us!"

But Orochimaru didn't answer. He simply smiled to himself as he got things ready for the day.

S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S

Tsunade sat behind her desk, observing the teens that stood before her. "So there are others like you then, Sakura?" she asked her apprentice, clearly astounded. Sakura nodded, hiding her excitement as best she could. "Hmm, interesting. And three, you say? Plus, there are still Gāiden?" well, _that_ didn't surprise her, really. Shikamaru's clan were descendants of Gāiden. Perhaps even Shikamaru himself had those powers...un-awakened deep inside him.

"Hai, isn't this great Tsunade-shishou? This means I'm not the last!" Sakura was so cheerful, her wolf tail was wagging back and forth a mile a minute. She almost looked like a puppy doing that, and Tsunade had to smother a laugh at the thought.

Naruto crossed his arms behind his head from where he stood next to Sakura. "They can visit, can't they granny?" he asked, and Tsunade, used to being called 'granny', looked thoughtful.

"I don't see why not. They are from Suna, who is now our ally." a grin was sent to the pink-haired girl. "By the way, great job in getting their alliance, Sakura. You did well." the Hokage told her proudly. Sakura flushed at the praise and bowed hastily.

"Thank you, Tsunade-shishou."

With that smile still present on her face, the Hokage dismissed the team.

"This calls for a celebration!" Naruto exclaimed as he bounced in place. Beside him, Sai gave a genuine smile. His teammates were always so _alive_. He loved that about them. Sakura laughed at Naruto's antics.

"Sounds like a good idea!" she agreed, despite the sudden feeling of an impending doom washing over her. _"Probably just nerves or something." _she though, running down the street. As she ran, she threw a wide grin over her shoulder at her two teammates. "Race you both to the Itcharaku! Last one there pays the bill!"

It took Naruto a moment to process what was actually going on. "HEY! No fair!" the fox boy shouted, taking off after the wolf girl. Her laughter rang out as he ran behind her. Chuckling quietly to himself, Sai followed after them.

S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S

Ursen looked over the village of Kohana from the shadows of the forest that surrounded it.

Two guards at the gates. Many young ninja and ninja-in-training running around on the streets. More guards stationed around the village. Nin animals – such as dogs – also running about.

Getting inside and getting the girl out unnoticed was going to be quite the challenge, but Ursen was confident that she could pull it off. After all, she was Orochimaru's best spy and assassin. Her ability to completely cloak herself for short amount of times came in handy often.

This was one of those times when she would need it.

"Yes, I could go through there…hmmm…she lives there, so I can…that would work…" she muttered to herself as she continued to watch the village. With a plan set in her head, the rouge ninja that worked for Orochimaru settled down to wait until nightfall.

**So short, I know and a little bit of a cliffy. Sorry!**

**Orochimaru's plan is coming to light so stay tuned to see what happens next! Will his minion, Uresen catch Sakura? Why is Sasuke having these dreams? And where is Itachi?**

**You'll find out soon! ~ Please, R&R! *throws cookies at all the readers* :D**


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